BYuT, Party of Regions calling for broad coalition

The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and the Party of Regions are inviting other parliamentary factions into a 'big coalition'.

This call was made in Tuesday's speeches in parliament by Party of Regions' member Dmytro Tabachnyk and BYuT faction leader Ivan Kyrylenko.

Tabachnyk says a 'big coalition' is not only a "two-faction union, as political outsiders name it labeling everybody as a plotter."

"Naturally, the Party of Regions and the BYuT, as the factions having the constitutional majority of the votes, must undertake the bulk of responsibility before voters and this country for solving the crisis and creating an effective coalition and government. But other parliamentary factions should be drawn in this coalition, too," he said.

The project for consolidation of the majority of parliamentary forces is not usurpation of power, which means that other parties should join in the project, Ivan Kyrylenko stated.

"Our key problem is not presidential or prime minister's authorities. We believe that redistribution of power between the center and the regions in the latters' favor must be a foundation stone of Ukraine's stable development. This is the essence of our constitutional initiatives," Kyrylenko said.

He emphasized: "Calm down! This is not usurpation that the BYuT and its leader Yulia Tymoshenko propose. This is a call for putting things into order in this country and building its great future with confidence, by a joint effort of political forces and power bodies of all levels. Join us and do not be afraid!"

On Monday, the BYuT denied accords with the Party of Regions on the creation of a coalition. Kyrylenko personally said this to the press. "Do not hurry, there is nothing of the kind at the moment," he stressed.

Oleksandr Yefremov, deputy head of the Party of Regions' faction, confirmed information about coalition talks, assuring a final decision had not been made by the time.

On the weekend, the mass media spread information that the BYuT and Party of Regions' leaders, Yulia Tymoshenko and Viktor Yanukovych, coordinated a draft Big Treaty providing for the creation of a broad coalition, and a text of the new Constitution. Beside that, the treaty allegedly outlined joint efforts of the BYuT and the Party of Regions until 2024, including participation in parliamentary elections as a single bloc.

UKRINFORM