Ukrainian Rivals Agree to Hold Early Elections in September; Ukrainian and American Observers Call for Greater Support of Democracy in Ukraine
By Daniel Hollingsworth
May 30, 2007 | Printer Friendly

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and his main political rival, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, agreed on May 27 to hold an early parliamentary election on September 30, as reported by the International Herald Tribune.  This decision has for now resolved a political crisis that began in Ukraine when Yushchenko unilaterally dissolved a hostile Parliament in April.  The events that followed reflected a renewed struggle for power between the president and prime minister, recalling the Orange Revolution of 2004 that brought Yushchenko to power and temporarily cast out Yanukovych from the Ukrainian government. 

Yushchenko’s decision to dissolve Parliament on April 2 and call for early elections set off the political crisis, as opponents refused to relinquish their seats, challenging his decision in Ukraine’s Constitutional Court.  The series of events that followed, as chronicled by the Eurasian Daily Monitor, brought Ukraine to the brink of violent conflict.  As the court deliberated, Yushchenko removed 18 judges on charges of corruption, in a move critics say was meant to suppress what was expected to be an unfavorable decision for the president.  When Prosecutor-General Svyatoslav Piskun specifically opposed two of these firings, Yushchenko issued a decree for his dismissal, which Piskun refused to recognize.  Police arrived to forcibly remove him, at which time Pishkun called on Interior Minister Vasyl Tshusko, a supporter of Yanukovych.  Tshusko instructed riot police to take control of the Prosecutor-General’s Office, announcing that a coup was taking place, prompting the acting prosecutor-general to open a criminal case against Tshusko.  President Yushchenko assumed command of the Interior Ministry combat forces, and on May 26, one day before the compromise was reached, ordered the deployment of over 2,000 troops to secure Kiev.  This deployment was blocked, as there were reports of traffic police preventing entry to the city for the busses carrying the troops.

The May 27 agreement stopped this sequence short of violence.  The Eurasian Daily Monitor argues that while the crisis was resolved, the events have seriously undermined the rule of law in Ukraine, casting a shadow on the stability of Ukraine’s democracy.  A May 28 op-ed in the Washington Post also lamented the lack of attention given by the United States government to this recent crisis, in contrast to the support given to pro-democratic forces leading up to the Orange Revolution.  Jackson Diehl writes, “The change from then to now is one measure of how far a demoralized administration has retreated from its ambitions, and from the world outside the Middle East.”  Ukraine’s former foreign minister, Konstantyn Gryshenko, visited Washington during the crisis, and he found it difficult to meet with the National Security Council or vice president’s office.  According to Gryshenko, “What’s needed from the United States, and what’s been lacking, is a strong message to all sides that it is in their interest to abide by democratic principles.  The message we’re getting is that the United States really doesn’t care.”  Diehl argues that the United States must remain engaged in support of democracies throughout the world, and that its failure to support democracy in Ukraine undermines its wider efforts to promote democracy.

Eurasia Daily Monitor: Crisis Over, but Rule of Law Undermined in Ukraine

International Herald Tribune: Ukrainian Leaders agree to hold parliamentary elections

Washington Post: Shortchanging Democracy in Ukraine