16 May 2008
The five political factions that will make up the new Rada have agreed to open the new Rada session on Thursday May 25. The first session will be chaired by former Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn, as the parties have yet to agree on the New Speaker. President Yushchenko is expected to address the new deputies. Concorde Capital: The new Rada members were able to take a break from bickering to agree on the start of the new session just two days before the deadline. Once the new session begins the deputies will have 30 days to form a coalition. Following the headway made in coalition talks, we expect the next step in the government forming process to take less time than the last stage.