27 September 2011
Kommersant reported this morning that Verkhovna Rada Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn is in talks to merge his People’s Party with the Party of Regions, citing undisclosed sources. The news follows an announcement in mid-August from Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and Deputy Prime Minister Sergiy Tigipko, respectively the heads of the Party of Regions and Strong Ukraine, that the two political parties were discussing a merger. Brad Wells: Both Lytvyn and Tigipko have been working with the government for the past year and a half on its reform agenda. We continue to seepolitical consolidation as a theme for the next few months as politicians’ attention turns toward how to best setup for next fall’s general election.