Ukrainian Oppos Reject Amnesty… Yanukovich Gets the Flu

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The Rada passed an amnesty for anti-government rioters jailed during recent public unrest, but on Thursday, oppositionists rejected the initiative, describing it as an attempt to undermine their cause. The Rada, which has a Regions/KPU majority, passed the amnesty law by 232 votes, six more than the required minimum, overnight Wednesday. The law mandates the release of rioters arrested since the current anti-government protests began in November. However, it only comes into effect if the opposition vacates occupied buildings and opens up blocked streets in central Kiev.

Opposition politicians described the amnesty proposal as creating a hostage situation. According to media reports, UDAR leader Vitaly Klichko said that the new law would “raise the temperature in society”. Other opposition leaders told demonstrators gathered on the Maidan that there were procedural violations during the passage of the bill and confirmed that the activists who created a large camp protected by barricades on the Maidan would stay there. On Thursday, Svoboda chieftain Oleg Tyagnibok said that the opposition must comply with the law within 15 days or the government wouldn’t free the detained rioters. The amnesty bill is part of a package of concessions from the authorities, who have struggled to cope with a recent violent escalation of protests, during which at least three demonstrators were killed.

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Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich went on sick leave Thursday, prompting oppositionists to accuse him of inaction during the current political crisis. A statement on the presidential website said that Yanukovich was on sick leave with “an acute respiratory illness accompanied by a high temperature”. A senior Regions Rada deputy, Mikhail Chechetov, said that Yanukovich “looked ill” whilst meeting with lawmakers late Wednesday to discuss amnesty for detained rioters. The Presidential Administration didn’t say how long they expected Yanukovich to be off work, or whether he was able to perform his presidential duties in the meantime. The oppositionist UDAR bloc said of the President’s illness, “[It’s] an attempt to avoid resolving the current political crisis. By being on sick leave, he can prevent the dictatorship laws from being cancelled, shun representatives of the opposition and global community, and avoid urgent measures to resolve the political crisis”.

On Thursday, Justice Minister Yelena Lukash said that Yanukovich had 15 days to sign into law a bill cancelling a series of unpopular anti-protest laws that sparked riots, leading to clashes with police. UNIAN quoted her as saying, “We’ll submit the bill submitted to the presidential administration today, and the president will have 15 days to sign it”. She said that he’d sign the bill into law after the Cabinet of Ministers and the Justice Ministry look at the legislation and tell him their conclusions.

30 January 2014

RIA-Novosti

http://en.ria.ru/world/20140130/187043433/Ukrainian-Opposition-Rejects-Protester-Amnesty-Law.html

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Ukrainian Government Big Warns of State of Emergency… EU Tells Rioters to Cool It

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In a video statement released Monday, Ukrainian Justice Minister Yelena Lukash threatened to ask for a state of emergency throughout the country if anti-government rioters don’t leave the Justice Ministry building in Kiev (occupied by rioters Sunday night). She said that if they won’t leave, she’d have to ask the Council of National Security and Defence to declare a state of emergency. In the video, released by Inter, Lukash also warned that she’d ask Ukrainian President Yanukovich to halt negotiations with oppositionists if they didn’t evacuate the building promptly. According to Ukrainian law, only the President, with approval from the Rada, can declare a state of emergency. A spokesman for Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov said that a state of emergency wasn’t discussed at a Cabinet meeting Monday. The Justice Ministry takeover was part of unrest this weekend after oppositionists rejected President Yanukovich’s offer to give the premiership and deputy premiership to their leaders. Lukash said that rioters vandalised the building when they broke in last night. Oppositionist bosses insist that the Ukrainian government call early elections and repeal recent anti-protest laws.

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On Monday, in a statement posted on its website, the EU representative office in Kiev urged Ukrainian oppositionists to break with violent elements engaged in rioting, saying, “We call upon the opposition to maintain the peaceful character of demonstrations and to dissociate itself clearly from all those who make use of violence in pursuing their aims”. In its statement, the EU delegation called on the Ukrainian government to repeal anti-protest legislation, which it said restricted “fundamental freedoms”. The EU delegation also affirmed that the bloc “remains committed to economic integration and political association with the Ukraine”.

27 January 2014

RIA-Novosti

http://en.ria.ru/world/20140127/186949801/Ukraines-Justice-Minister-Issues-State-of-Emergency-Warning.html

http://en.ria.ru/world/20140127/186961560/EU-Urges-Ukrainian-Opposition-to-Disavow-Violent-Elements.html

Editor’s Note:

The EU is telling the oppos to cool their jets… that is, it told them that they were stupid to have turned down Viktor Fyodorovich’s offer. I think that the oppos blew it and that they fell neatly into the government’s trap. Let’s face it… Klichko‘s a dumb jock manipulated by his German handlers, Yatsenyuk is an overambitious Khodorkovsky-wannabe, and Tyagnibok is a neo-Nazi thug. The government security forces show no signs of failing morale or indiscipline. It’s NOT August ’91. The security forces pulled back in good order… the oppos dumbly rushed in, giving the Justice Minister a pretext to ask for a state of emergency. The stupidity shown by the zapadniki and their local stooges is mind-boggling. There are NO reports of any mass unrest in the south or the east… that is, Viktor Fyodorovich’s back’s covered. It’s too early to read any tealeaves, but I’d say that if Galicia seceded, Yanukovich (and all other sensible people), would cross themselves, belt down a shot, shout, “Slava Bogu!”, and say to all comers, “Good riddance to bad rubbish”. That’s my take, for what it’s worth…

BMD

Party of Regions Leads the Ukrainian Parliamentary Election After 10% of Ballots Counted

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On Monday, the Ukrainian Central Election Committee said that the ruling Party of Regions, headed by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich, leads the parliamentary elections after it counted 10 percent of the ballots. Yanukovich’s party gained 39.97 percent of the vote, followed by jailed ex-premier Yuliya Timoshenko’s Batkivshchyna party with 19.56 percent. The Ukrainian Communist Party came in third with 15.79 percent. Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform (UDAR), led by world-famous boxer Vitaly Klitschko had 11.59 percent of the vote, whilst 6.18 percent of the voters cast their ballots in favour of the nationalist Svoboda Party.

The rest of the political parties participating in the electnationalistion didn’t pass the five percent threshold necessary to gain seats in the country’s legislative body, the Verkhovna Rada. Over 5,000 candidates contested 450 seats in the Rada, with half of the deputies elected by party-list voting, whilst the other half stood in single-mandate constituencies. Polls closed at 20.00 EET (21.00 MSK 18.00 UTC 13.00 EDT 10.00 PDT 04.00 29 October AET) on Sunday. According to the Central Election Committee, voter turnout stood at nearly 58 percent.

29 October 2012

RIA-Novosti

http://en.ria.ru/politics/20121029/177005157.html