CEC registers new observers for presidential run-off election

News / 29 January 2010 | 17:54

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has registered another 163 official observers for the second round of the presidential election in Ukraine.

The commission registered 150 observers from the CIS Election Monitoring Organization (CIS-EMO) and 13 observers from Poland.

The CEC has already registered 3,334 foreign observers for the presidential run-off vote.

The commission also set January 30 as deadline for the submission of requests for the registration of observers for the second round of the election.

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Any president will fight for good gas ties with Russia

News / 29 January 2010 | 15:55

Ukraine will push for solid gas relations with Russia to discourage Gazprom from building pipelines bypassing the country, whichever candidate wins the presidency, the Financial Times quoted a senior Ukrainian diplomat on Thursday.

Improved gas ties with Russia could diminish Gazprom’s resolve to build new export pipelines that will reduce Ukraine’s strategic importance as an energy hub between Russia and Europe, he said.

Ukraine is poised to redraw its troubled relations with Russia after the defeat of Viktor Yushchenko, its pro-western president in an election this month.

Repeated gas rows between Russia and Ukraine have caused supply disruptions in Europe and intensified Gazprom’s determination to build alternative pipelines that would cut Ukraine’s earnings from gas transit.

“The task of any Ukrainian government will be to make [the terms of] gas transit attractive both for Russia and European consumers,” the diplomat told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Mr Yanukovich said this week he would ask Russia to commit long term gas flows across Ukraine in exchange for guarantees of stable transit in a bid to discourage Gazprom from building alternative pipelines, such as South Stream and North Stream.

But he ruled out the sale of Ukrainian gas pipelines to Gazprom. Mr Yanukovich has pledged to revise a gas deal signed by Russia and Ukraine last year ending the latest in a string of disputes.

In spite of last year’s gas truce, Gazprom has pressed ahead with plans to build new pipelines to Europe to reduce its exposure to Ukrainian transit routes that carry 80 per cent of Russia’s gas exports to market.

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Yushchenko recognized OUN-UPA warriors as fighters for Ukraine’s independance

News / 29 January 2010 | 14:00

President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko has recognized warriors of Ukrainian nationalists OUN-UPA as fighters for Ukraine’s independance. He said during the ceremony on honoring Krut Heroes in Chernihiv region.

“Taking into account the results of scientific research and recognizing the prominent role of the  fighters for Ukraine’s independence in XX century in order to restore historical justice and true history of the Ukrainian liberation movement of XX century, I have signed the decree on honoring the fighters for Ukraine’s independence in XX century,” Yushchenko said.

According to him, the decree was signed on January 28.

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Democratic presidential election to foster Ukraine’s approaching to EU

News / 29 January 2010 | 12:42

Holding democratic and fair election will speed up Ukraine’s nearing to the European Union, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Petro Poroshenko and Catherine Ashton, the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, have said this in London, UKRINFORM learned from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The parties emphasized that a crucial task in Ukraine-EU relations for the nearest future should be conclusion of the Association Agreement, including deep and comprehensive free trade area, as well as Ukraine’s sectoral integration with the EU.

Ashton underlined that development of relations with Ukraine will be one of the priorities of her external policy activity at a new post.

She expressed satisfaction over Ukraine’s involvement in stabilization processes in Afghanistan, as well as Ukraine’s active stance at the London Conference on Afghanistan.

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Lutsenko: MIA won’t allow anarchy in Ukraine

News / 29 January 2010 | 11:02

Law enforcement bodies will do everything to ensure that voting in the second round of the presidential elections on February 7, 2010 will be transparent and democratic, Acting Minister of Internal Affair Yuriy Lutsenko said.

He also assured that he won’t allow the results of the elections to be distorted. “I won’t allow anyone to throw the country into anarchy and violence.”

“I’m not talking about the minister’s chair, but about stability of the electoral process in Ukraine, the ability to maintain law and order, which the MIS has done and received a thank you from the OSCE. We will do the same during the next round,” Yuriy Lutsenko said.

As reported, the Party of Regions’ initiative to dismiss Yuriy Lutsenko passed through parliament today. Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko then called an emergency Cabinet session at which Yuriy Lutsenko was appointed First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and acting Minister.

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Tymoshenko welcomes Tihipko’s readiness to head new government

News / 28 January 2010 | 16:14

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who is running for the presidency, expressed confidence that there would be enough votes at the Verkhovna Rada for the appointment of Serhiy Tihipko the prime minister after her victory in the presidential race.

She made a statement to this effect in Kherson Thursday, UKRINFORM reported.

The Prime Minister is sure that after the polls they will form with Tihipko a strong intellectual team, which will put forward a new program for the country’s development.

Tymoshenko reminded that she had officially proposed premiership to Tihipko, and was glad about his positive reply, though she did not specify when Tihipko gave the positive answer.

She also expressed support to Tihipko’s position on implementation of the program for the country’s modernization.

As a reminder, Tihipko refused to support any presidential candidate during the second round.

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Tymoshenko to appoint Lutsenko the first deputy interior minister

News / 28 January 2010 | 14:29

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is planning to appoint Yuri Lutsenko the first deputy interior minister, acting interior minister of Ukraine. An extraordinary session of the Cabinet will be held today at 1 p.m., prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko declared.

“Lutsenko will be appointed the first deputy interior minister and will govern the ministry to prevent falsifications,” Tymoshenko said. She underlined that Lutsenko’s dismissal was not a surprise.

“Yuri Lutsenko was preventing frauds and falsifications during the first round of the presidential election, and such reaction of Viktor Yanukovych (the dismissal – ed.) is quite understandable,” the prime minsiter said. 

In his turn, BYuT faction deputy Serhiy Mishchenko told jounalists that “dismissal of Lutsenko is  political repression, and that there are no doubts the Party of Regions will organize mass falsifications in the second round of the election.”

According to him, the Party of Regions was using police help to falsify results in 2004 presidential election, and that is why BYuT is expecting the same actions this time.

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Parliament dismissed Lutsenko from the post of Interior Minister

News / 28 January 2010 | 12:56

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has dismissed Interior Minister Yuri Lutsenko. The draft resolution was initiated by the Party of Regions. 231 MPs voted in support of the resolution, namely 171 deputies of the Party of Regions, 1 from BYuT, 11 from the Our Ukraine, 27 deputies of the ommunist party, 19 from the Lytvyn bloc and 2 non-faction MPs.

The draft resolution does not read the reason of dismissal, though the explanatory note says that Lutsenko systematiaclly violated the law on election and tried to interfere with the election process despite the prohibitions set by the law.

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