Political crisis settled, says prime minister

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Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has said that yesterday's developments in the Verkhovna Rada when a newly elected speaker announced the creation of a new parliamentary coalition are historical, according to the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers.

"The faction of the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko, the majority of MPs from the faction of the Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense Bloc, and the faction of the Bloc of Lytvyn have settled the political crisis by creating a new parliamentary coalition and electing Volodymyr Lytvyn as Verkhovna Rada chairman," she said.

Volodymyr Lytvyn, leader of the eponymous bloc, was elected speaker of the Verkhovna Rada on December 9. The newly elected speaker then announced the creation of a coalition comprising the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT), the Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense Bloc (OUPSD), and the Bloc of Lytvyn.

A total of 244 MPs out of the 422 registered in the parliament's session hall voted for Lytvyn as parliament speaker. In particular, he received support from practically the entire faction of the BYuT (apart from two MPs), 40 MPs from OUPSD, all MPs from the Communist Party of Ukraine and the Bloc of Lytvyn, and also three Regions Party MPs.

UKRINFORM