Skip to main content
BBC NEWS / EUROPE
Graphics VersionBBC Sport Home
News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
Thursday, 29 November 2007, 13:41 GMT

Orange coalition to lead Ukraine

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko (left) embraces Yulia Tymoshenko on 15 October Ukraine's pro-Western "Orange" parties have agreed after months of uncertainty to form a coalition - the first step towards a new government.

The coalition of parties led by Viktor Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko - both leaders of the 2004 Orange Revolution - has a majority of just one seat.

Ms Tymoshenko is expected to become prime minister in the new government.

Elections in September gave the two parties enough combined votes to defeat current PM Viktor Yanukovych's party.

His Party of Regions, which has its base in Ukraine's Russian-speaking east, won the largest single share of votes in the election but is now expected to be the main opposition group.

Orange feud

The two Orange bloc parties reached a loose agreement in October to form a coalition.

But disagreements remained over which government posts each party would control.

Thursday's deal makes it likely that Ms Tymoshenko will again become prime minister - an office she occupied briefly in 2005 before being sacked by the then president, Viktor Yushchenko.

Mr Yushchenko's party is expected to have the right to choose the parliamentary speaker - a powerful office in Ukraine.

Wrangling between the erstwhile allies, Ms Tymoshenko and Mr Yushchenko, has recently dominated Ukrainian politics.

Mr Yushchenko became president after street protests in 2004, dubbed the "Orange Revolution". He defeated his bitter rival, Mr Yanukovych, whose election had been widely condemned as fraudulent.



E-mail this to a friend

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Central Electoral Commission
Party of Regions
Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc
Our Ukraine-People's Self Defence
Communist Party
Progressive Socialist Party
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites



SEARCH BBC NEWS: 

News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |

NewsWatch | Notes | Contact us | About BBC News | Profiles | History

^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©