KIEV, Ukraine—Ukraine’s new president, Victor Yanukovych, hopes to form a new ruling coalition this week, but first he tweaked the constitution to improve his chances for consolidating power. The question is, is what he did legal?
A parliamentary faction led by Yanukovych’s Party of Regions passed a bill on Tuesday changing the rules for how the governing coalition is created. According to the constitutional amendment, deputies can now leave their parties to join coalitions as individuals. Traditionally, only factions of parties could join together to form a majority or ruling coalition.
Many lawmakers are criticizing Yanukovych, calling his move a “constitutional coup.”
“This version which they have created is totally illegal and unconstitutional,” said Vladimir Filenko, a deputy from the ruling coalition that fell last week after a vote of non-confidence. The coalition had been lead by Yanukovych’s rival in the recent presidential elections, Yulia Tymoshenko.
However, members of the president’s faction do not think that they violated any laws. They claim that such changes are necessary to have a functioning state as soon as possible so that the country can emerge from both the political and economic crisis. Yanukovych has not yet signed the bill into law, but he is expected to.
The non-consenting majority in parliament plans to appeal to the constitutional court to decide whether the amendment is legal or not.
Political observers note that while this is a serious step, it was to be expected, given the political chaos in Ukraine.
“In Ukraine, there are a lot of laws that do not function and neither does the constitution. You can watch on TV how lawmakers work: Each of them just votes for his neighbors,” said Ilko Kucheriv, director of the Democratic Initiatives Foundation.
Tymoshenko, who narrowly lost to Vanukovych in a hard-fought election, was elected on Tuesday as leader of the democratic opposition, which includes many political parties and social groups. Their goals are to create a democratic country, move ahead with European integration, and keep a watch on the current authorities. They promise to be constructive but not aggressive.
A parliamentary faction led by Yanukovych’s Party of Regions passed a bill on Tuesday changing the rules for how the governing coalition is created. According to the constitutional amendment, deputies can now leave their parties to join coalitions as individuals. Traditionally, only factions of parties could join together to form a majority or ruling coalition.
Many lawmakers are criticizing Yanukovych, calling his move a “constitutional coup.”
“This version which they have created is totally illegal and unconstitutional,” said Vladimir Filenko, a deputy from the ruling coalition that fell last week after a vote of non-confidence. The coalition had been lead by Yanukovych’s rival in the recent presidential elections, Yulia Tymoshenko.
However, members of the president’s faction do not think that they violated any laws. They claim that such changes are necessary to have a functioning state as soon as possible so that the country can emerge from both the political and economic crisis. Yanukovych has not yet signed the bill into law, but he is expected to.
The non-consenting majority in parliament plans to appeal to the constitutional court to decide whether the amendment is legal or not.
Political observers note that while this is a serious step, it was to be expected, given the political chaos in Ukraine.
“In Ukraine, there are a lot of laws that do not function and neither does the constitution. You can watch on TV how lawmakers work: Each of them just votes for his neighbors,” said Ilko Kucheriv, director of the Democratic Initiatives Foundation.
Tymoshenko, who narrowly lost to Vanukovych in a hard-fought election, was elected on Tuesday as leader of the democratic opposition, which includes many political parties and social groups. Their goals are to create a democratic country, move ahead with European integration, and keep a watch on the current authorities. They promise to be constructive but not aggressive.
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