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Ukraine creates new ruling coalition

Posted on: Fri March 12, 2010

KIEV, Ukraine: Ukrainian lawmakers formed a new majority coalition around President Viktor Yanukovych on Thursday, allowing him to consolidate power by quickly approving his choices for a new prime minister and Cabinet.

Mykola Azarov, who served as Yanukovych s campaign strategist in this year s presidential elections, was chosen as premier. The move ends the long-running rivalry between head of state Yanukovych and its head of government, former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who Yanukovych beat in the presidential race.    

Azarov now leads the new majority coalition in parliament, dubbed the Reforms and Order coalition. It includes Yanukovych s Party of Regions, the Communists, the party led by parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn, four independents and a dozen defectors from other parties.    

Tymoshenko, an avid critic of Yanukovych, was ousted March 3 in a no-confidence vote after her Orange coalition fell. She and former president Viktor Yushchenko led the Orange Revolution protests in 2004 that helped bring Yushchenko to power after a fraud-riddled election in which Yanukovych had been declared winner.    

But six lawmakers defected from each of their parliamentary factions to join Azarov s new coalition, giving their bitter rival the votes he needed for a majority. Azarov was first deputy prime minister when Yanukovych held the premiership in 2006-7.

Born and educated in Russia, Azarov is seen as a staunch supporter of Yanukovych and his Kremlin-friendly policies, and is known for his vocal attacks against the Orange government and Tymoshenko in particular. His Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, sent Azarov a message of congratulations hours after his appointment.

Courtesy : The News