MPs in No Mood for Compromise.

The political crisis is intensifying today and yesterday’s moves towards compromise have been eclipsed by an emotional showdown in parliament, where the new Blue-Pink majority is trying to assert control and meeting rowdy resistance from Tymoshenko Bloc and Our Ukraine MPs. Olexander Moroz, the Socialist speaker, managed to announce the official dissolution of the Orange coalition and the formation of the Blue-Pink coalition, but after that action was frozen as the two sides engaged in shoving matches and threw crumpled paper at each other. Other Orange MPs blared bullhorn sirens from the back of the hall until Moroz finally called a recess until 4 pm. Then the 238 members of the Blue-Pink coalition voted to officially nominate Yanukovich as prime minister, while Our Ukraine and Tymoshenko rushed to court to challenge the legitimacy of the new coalition (according to parliament’s rules of order, the Socialists were supposed to give the other coalition members 10 days notice before dissolving the Orange coalition). This is all a big change from yesterday afternoon when Regions was making friendly noises and the Blue-Pink coalition’s leaders, Viktor Yanukovich and Olexander Moroz, met with prime minister Yuri Yekhanurov and former national security chief Anatoly Kinakh, who were understood to be negotiating on behalf of President Yushchenko. According to some reports, Yanukovich and Moroz offered Yekhanurov the prime minister position; according to others, only deputy prime minister. Yushchenko then met with Yulia Tymoshenko for two hours where they reportedly discussed a possible electoral alliance if a repeat vote were held, while Our Ukraine’s party leadership voted to call on Yushchenko to dissolve parliament. Today Our Ukraine and Tymoshenko bloc MPs are arm-in-arm and even Petro Poroshenko has said he wants Our Ukraine to run jointly with Tymoshenko in new elections. About 3,000 Blue-Pink supporters, many allegedly bused in overnight from eastern Ukraine, have gathered outside the Rada building. Tom Warner: Many Our Ukraine MPs suspect Yushchenko negotiated behind their back with Yanukovich and Moroz – that is, they suspect Yushchenko was part of a plot to bring down the Orange coalition. Yushchenko’s authority within the party has plummeted and other Our Ukraine leaders led by Poroshenko are struggling to keep the party together. Meanwhile, by meeting with Tymoshenko, Yushchenko has annoyed Regions who have reacted by stepping up their threat to officially nominate Yanukovich. Yushchenko is attempting to drive a hard bargain by playing Yanukovich and Tymoshenko against each other but he is in danger of losing control of the situation. The danger is that Orange supporters, who have so far been more depressed than angry, could take to the streets, with no one to keep law and order. However, it’s not clear that Regions will go ahead with Yanukovich’s nomination.