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Yulia MPs open – and close - Parliament
Journal Staff Report

KIEV, July 16 – Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s lawmakers outmaneuvered the opposition Regions Party on Thursday, successfully opening - and closing - a session of Parliament, eliminating the possibility of a government dismissal.

The Regions Party has made Parliament non-operational for the past two weeks by blocking its podium every morning starting from 9:00 AM.

But a team of Tymoshenko’s lawmakers sneaked into the session hall at 7:00 AM, or two hours before their opposition counterparts, surrounding the podium and making the Regions Party eventually unable to block.

The trick allowed Parliamentary Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn to open, and later to close, the session, breaking the 30-day countdown that could have eventually given President Viktor Yushchenko power to dismiss Parliament.

“Due to the actions of our group Parliament’s work was unblocked and the session was opened,” Serhiy Mishchenko, a Tymoshenko lawmaker, said. “Thus, the 30-day countdown for the dismissal of Parliament was aborted.”

One of constitutional reasons allowing the president to dismiss Parliament is its inability to hold a session within 30 days. The legislature was out of session for 14 days, and the president could obtain the power to dismiss it on August 2.

The dismissal of Parliament would cause early parliamentary election and that would most likely lead to removal of the Tymoshenko government. The scenario, apparently backed by many in the Regions Party, however, had been vigorously opposed by Tymoshenko.

The Regions Party, caught by surprise when the Tymoshenko team seized the podium, tried to disrupt the session by switching off computer that performs lawmaker registration and vote counting, but their effort had failed.

“Somebody said that we’re afraid to come close to the podium,” Andriy Kozhemiakin, a senior Tymoshenko lawmaker who led the team, said. “We showed today that we’re not afraid and can even make sure that the session opens.”

The Tymoshenko group and the Regions Party later agreed on the agenda, allowing Parliament on Thursday to overwhelmingly vote sending for the second reading a bill that greatly increases social spending.

Tymoshenko’s refusal to debate the bill, which she said was impossible to fund, was one of formal reasons for the Regions Party to block Parliament for the past two weeks.

Lawmakers also sent for the second reading a bill that outlines recapitalization of banks, and ratified a lending agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Parliament is now expected to resume session in September. (tl/ez)




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