Ukraine Today - An Independent Political Review

CC ruling provokes snap parliamentary and presidential elections CC ruling repealing 2004 constitutional amendments should be followed by snap parliamentary and presidential elections, honorary leader of the Socialist party Olexandr Moroz says, his press service reported Oct. 3. Source: ZIK The big question now is which way Ukraine will take, Moroz said. “This depends on how democratic our new president is and on VR lawmakers who will have to find the way out of the resulting legal stalemate, Moroz continued. If the CC ruling is considered legal, there is need to hold snap parliamentary and presidential elections. However, the constitution does not envisage such procedure, and therefore, there will be manipulation of constitutional provisions, Moroz went on. Viktor Yanukovych was elected to office under the 2004 Constitution which detailed his authority. Verkhovna Rada was also elected in 2007 for 5 years and is supposed to have the authority ...

Kyiv Post profile of performers www.spu.in.ua Moroz, 65, is the long-time leader and founder of Ukraine’s Socialist Party. He served as Verkhovna Rada speaker twice, first from 1994-1998, then again in 2006-2007 when his party formed a governing coalition led by Prime Minister Victor Yushchenko. After making this unpopular alliance, his Socialist Party failed in a 2007 snap election to muster enough support to gain representation in parliament. The Kyiv Oblast native has been involved in bringing to light Ukraine’s most notable scandals, including the disappearance of journalist Georgiy Gongadze in 2000 and the release of recordings made in former President Leonid Kuchma’s office between 1999 and 2000.

The speaker of the 5 convocation of Ukraine's parliament Olexandr Moroz has indicated that the Verkhovna Rada will be convened on September 4, 2007   Dr Moroz announced that the parliament will consider a number of issues including the proposal to remove immunity from public officials (including members of Parliament and the President). the parliament will also consider the proposed impeachment of Ukraine's President for breaches of oath and Ukraine's Constitution   Ukraine has been in "constitutional limbo" now for just under 6 months.   The president's earlier decrees dismissing the parliament are considered to be unconstitutional in that the president has no authority to dismiss the parliament except pursuant to the provisions of Article 90.  His previous decrees do not conform with the requirements of Article 90.  The situation has been exacerbated by the president's illegal interference in the operation of the Constitutional Court  ...

Olexandr Moroz is Ukraine's truest defender of democracy. His fight and opposition to the Ukraine's president's unjust attack on democracy in Ukraine is correct in so far as he criticisms the actions of the president and seeks to hold the rule of law and Ukraine's Constitution. The time has come for Moroz, whilst maintaining his principle opposition to the president's actions, to fulfill the terms of the agreements reached in May 2007. The longer Moroz continues to pursue the idea of reinstating democratic parliamentary rule via the back door the more he allows himself to be portrayed in a negative light. Moroz has bigger fish to fry and he should get on with the positive aspects of his concerns and defend the virtues of a parliamentary democracy rule of law as opposed to a return to the dark days of governance by presidential directorial decree. The suggestion or notion that vacancies arising from the resignation of opposition members should be filled by dissident...

Olexandr Moroz has upped the anti and is began a campaign of defence by going on the attack. Backed by the European PACE report, which recommends that Ukraine adopt a fuel parliamentary system in line with other European States, Moroz has come out with the intention of challenging directly the proposals being put forward by the President's camp to wind back the clock and re-instate a US style presidential system. The current political crisis is a power struggle between the parliamentary democracy versus presidential dictatorship. The opposition are enthusiastically trying to promote themselves as being the democratic forces (which by implication falsely implies that the governing coalition are not democratic) The same goes for the pro-west label. Moroz attack in defence of Ukraine's parliamentary democracy could be a winner if he is able to sell his message. Most Ukrainians are in favour of the parliamentary system and there is a high awareness of the fact that European Countri...

The formal recognition of over 151 member's resignation from Ukraine's Parliament has provided the president the legal basis, under Ukraine's Constitution, for calling of fresh parliamentary elections. Notwithstanding issues related to the constitutionality of president's decrees -- Viktor Yushchenko's unwarranted and illegal attack on Ukraine's democratic institutions, the judiciary and the date chosen for fresh elections -- the time has come for all political forces to accept the terms of the agreement made in May and begin campiagning for support at the September poll. Whilst it is technically possible under the current circumstances to fill any vacancies that have resulted from the opposition's resignations by the remnants of electoral list registered at the time of the 2006 parliamentary elections would be morally and politically wrong. Olexandr Moroz should now accept, in good faith, the agreement reached in May. Failure to do so would only result in f...

There is no doubt that legally speaking Ukrainian speaker Alexander Moroz is correct and his ongoing concerns and criticism about the illegal and unconstitutional actions of Ukraine's president are valid. Viktor Yushchenko has acted unconstitutionally and not in the interest of democracy, as he and his party falsely claim, but in the interest of his own political party and political future. His attack on Ukraine's judiciary and the illegal dismissal of Ukraine's democratic parliament warrant harsh criticisms and legal review. There is no justification for fresh parliamentary elections. It is doubtful that the outcome of election will change or resolve the current political crisis which is of the president's making following divisions in the opposition. The public polls indicate that the main governing party "Party of Regions" may even secure a majority of the parliament in their own right. Ukraine's economy is growing and reports today indicate that infla...

In a month of ongoing political conflict caused by the recent alliance and creation of an opposition coalition between various members of Our Ukraine and Yulia Tymoshenko block has generated tension and further division within Ukraine. Encouraged by a new found partnership of convenience Yulia Tymoshenko and Our Ukraine had embarked on a deliberate campaign of destabilization of Ukraine's political and democratic development. At the centre of the pending political crisis was Ukraine's President, Victor Yushchenko, and his power and right of veto. The President under Ukraine's constitution has the right to veto any legislation as he sees fit to veto. A power that is widely open to abuse. In order to over-ride the President’s right of Veto the Parliament requires a statutory 2/3rds majority vote of the Parliament. Recently Yulia Tymoshenko forced the hand of the President by backing proposals by the Government to pass legislation on the law of Cabinet of Ministers. This tempo...

Spring Attack Warning - Olexander Moroz Viktor Yushchenko, "Our Ukraine" and Yulia Tymoshenko must think twice before opening Pandora's box. Olexander Moroz. leader of the Socialists Party of Ukraine, today express his concern that Ukraine's President and his Party Our Ukraine and Yulia Tymoshenko bloc are actively planning to destabilize Ukraine's political and democratic development in the hope of securing fresh parliamentary election that will see them elected to a more favourable position that what they managed to achieve in the March 2006 Parliamentary election. There is no justification that warrants the dismissal of the governing coalition which was formed after Our Ukraine failed to compromise and negotiate a role and position in the parliamentary government. The March 2006 Parliamentary elections were acknowledged by all major political forces and international observers to have been a fair and democratic contest. If the President summarily dismisses the ...

Ukraine's socialists accuse president over coalition collapse Source: RAI Novosti 19:40 07 / 07 / 2006 KIEV, July 7 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine's Socialist Party blames President Viktor Yushchenko for a virtual collapse of a coalition majority formed in the country's parliament in June, a party member said Friday. Ivan Boky said, "The president ruined the coalition by nominating Petro Poroshenko for the post of [Supreme Rada] speaker." The coalition of Western-leaning forces broke up when the Party of Regions, holding 186 seats in the Rada, and the Socialist and Communist parties with 33 and 21 seats respectively joined forces late Thursday to elect Socialist leader Oleksandr Moroz as speaker. The three parties are currently holding talks on the formation of a new parliamentary coalition. Boky said anarchy followed the collapse of the "orange" coalition that "ruined the economy and created political instability." "Therefore, we had to assume ...

Ukrainian parliament elects Socialist leader as speaker Source: RAI Novosti KIEV, July 7 (RIA Novosti) - Leader of the Socialist Party Oleksandr Moroz is Ukraine's new parliamentary speaker. Two hundred and thirty-eight deputies in the 450-seat house voted late Thursday in favor of Moroz, who occupied the post in 1994-1998. The Supreme Rada resumed work Thursday after the opposition ended its the blockade of the rostrum and reached a compromise with the coalition majority. Yanukovych's Party of Regions had staged a sit-in since June 27 in protest against the allocation of Cabinet and Supreme Rada portfolios by the coalition of three Western-leaning groupings. Deputies from former premier Yulia Tymoshenko's eponymous bloc and the pro-presidential Our Ukraine bloc refused to participate in the vote in protest against the Socialist faction. They claimed the Socialists had breached an "orange" coalition agreement, which had a provision to elect a candidate from pro-...