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Tymoshenko, Yanukovych talks break down
Journal Staff Report

KIEV, June 8 – Constitutional talks between Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and the opposition Regions Party collapsed on Sunday after Regions leader Viktor Yanukovych pulled out, rejecting the idea of presidential election in Parliament.

The development eases political tensions that started to escalate days ago in anticipation that the talks would produce constitutional amendments restricting elections, civil liberties and the freedom of speech.

Some of the most controversial amendments discussed included electing the next president in Parliament, scrapping a popular vote several months before it was due, and postponing general elections through the mid-2014.

Both, Tymoshenko and Yanukovych, kept silence for the two weeks as the talks had continued, but some of their closest allies had been aggressively campaigning in the media defending the amendments.

In a televised statement on Sunday morning, Yanukovych said he was quitting the talks in disagreement over the idea of electing the president in Parliament. He said he would run for the presidency through the popular vote.

“We considered the amendments that anticipated election of the president in Parliament and extending authority of lawmakers for certain period of time,” Yanukovych said. “Without a doubt this would save money and time that could be used for implementation of anti-crisis measures.”

“I always stated and I am stating again that the president of the state must be elected at direct nation-wide vote,” Yanukovych said. “The heart tells me that the nation-wide election of the president is the choice that we have to make. And I am making it.”

Tymoshenko has been apparently meeting some of her lawmakers to persuade them to support the grand coalition with the Regions Party when Yanukovych’s statement had appeared on air, people familiar with the situation said.

Tymoshenko reacted by scrambling to record and to release her own televised address, in which she for the first time had directly admitted the talks had been taking place.

“I believed that today the unification of all political groups in Ukraine will take place for the sake of protecting you, your children from the global calamity, from the deadly financial economic crisis,” Tymoshenko said.

“The talks were very hard, but still had making progress,” Tymoshenko said. “Unfortunately, Viktor Yanukovych today has put a period in the talks.”

Tymoshenko also sought to distance herself from the controversial amendments.

“We never talked about extending duties of the current Parliament nor about electing the president in Parliament nor about amendments restricting the freedom of speech,” Tymoshenko said.

But she quickly accused Yanukovych of suggesting an “exotic” amendment to the constitution that would restrict an age of a presidential candidate at 50 years. She said the amendments was suggested on Friday.

“I categorically rejected this amendment,” Tymosheko said. “I believe that restricting in such a tough way the choice of the people would be unjust.”

But Hanna Herman, a close ally of Yanukovych, on Monday denied the claim. She said Yanukovych was not even in Ukraine on Friday as he had traveled to an undisclosed country through Saturday morning.

President Viktor Yushchenko, in a televised address to the nation on Thursday, called on the people to stand up against the constitutional amendments prepared by Tymoshenko and Yanukovych.

“This is a constitutional coup, an attempt to assassinate the Ukrainian democracy,” Yushchenko said in an address to the nation aired by Studio 1+1 television Thursday night.

“I am warning you - stand up next to the president, elbow to elbow, we are the millions,” Yushchenko said. “We will not let these swindlers do with the country what they have been dictated to do.” (tl/ez)




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