Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2008

Early parliamentary elections in Ukraine will take place on December 7, 2008. [] . The ongoing power struggle between the President and parliamentary fractions, hindered the possibility of a stable coalition and resulted in the dissolution of parliament. In the days prior to the dissolution, several parties declared that they were willing to form a coalition (possible combinations where: BYuT + OU-PSD + Bloc Lytvyn, a coalition between arch rivals [cite news|url=http://unian.net/eng/news/news-271206.html|title=Aliens took Tymoshenko on their flying saucer?|publisher=UNIAN|date=05.09.2008|accessdate=05.09.2008] BYuT + Party of Regions and a continuation of the OU-PSD + BYuT combination) [cite news|url=http://www.interfax.com.ua/en/news/main-news/174313/|title=Regions Party ready to form coalition 'to save country'|publisher=Interfax Ukraine|date=8 October 2008|accessdate=8 October 2008] [cite news|url=http://www.tymoshenko.com.ua/eng/news/first/6369/|title=Yulia Tymoshenko outlines two solutions to the political crisis|publisher=Personal web site of Yulia Tymoshenko|date=3 October 2008|accessdate=3 October 2008] [cite news|url=http://www.tymoshenko.com.ua/eng/news/first/6323/|title=Yulia Tymoshenko: If Yushchenko upsets talks, there will be a coalition with the Regions|publisher=Personal web site of Yulia Tymoshenko|date=25 September 2008|accessdate=25 September 2008] [cite news|url=http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-276014.html|title=BYuT accepts all ultimatums of OU-PSD - Tymoshenko|publisher=UNIAN|date=01.10.2008|accessdate=01.10.2008] [cite news|url=http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-272898.html|title=Tymoshenko and Lytvyn agreed to create new coalition with OU-PSD|publisher=UNIAN|date=15.09.2008|accessdate=15.09.2008] [cite news|url=http://nuns.com.ua/news/4859/|title=We are working over the text of the statement on the conflict between Russia and Georgia to make it admissible for both parties – Kyrylenko|publisher=Our Ukraine|date=03.10.2008|accessdate=03.10.2008] [cite news|url=http://www.nrcu.gov.ua/index.php?id=148&listid=75497|title=BYuT ready to accept all of conditions set by OU-PSD in talks on revival of democratic coalition|publisher=Radio Ukraine|date=01-10-2008|accessdate=01-10-2008] .

The Kiev District Court on October 11, 2008 suspended Yushchenko's election call, responding to a lawsuit filed by BYuT MPs.http://www.b92.net/eng/news/world-article.php?yyyy=2008&mm=10&dd=11&nav_id=54157] Tymoshenko refused to approve funds for the election, stating that Ukraine couldn't afford an early elections and that she expected parliament to refuse the necessary funds, as well. [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5icD-TS1PWv-LA7R3qFWfYJhXmf_AD93NQT6G0]

Commentary

Most politicians, besides the president's closest allies, denounced the decree, with even some Yushchenko sympathisers and allies from the Presidents own partycite news
url=http://www.ukranews.com/eng/article/154442.html
title=Five OU-PSD Parties: Appointment Of Early Parliamentary Elections Is Mistake
publisher=Ukrainian News Agency
date=October 9, 2008] vowing to challenge his action in the courts. [cite news|url=http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-277640.html|title=People’s Self-Defense not to bloc with Our Ukraine at snap poll|date=09.10.2008] cite news
url=http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE4986BQ20081009
title=Ukraine president says Dec election is "no tragedy"
publisher=reuters
date=2008-10-09] On October 10 the People’s Self-Defense (PSD) leader Yuriy Lutsenko announced that all democratic forces should unite into a single democratic bloc on basis of BYuT at the snap poll. [cite news|url=http://www.unian.net/eng/news/news-277835.html|title=All democratic forces should unite on basis of BYuT – Lutsenko|publisher=UNIAN|date=10.10.2008] Although other PSD members disagreed and rather continued to collaborate with Our Ukraine. [cite news|url=http://unian.net/eng/news/news-277881.html|title=Riot in People’s Movement of Ukraine|publisher=UNIAN|date=10.10.2008]

Poland’s former President Aleksander Kwaśniewski, stated that by dissolving the Verkhovna Rada, Yushchenko "shot himself in the foot." "There was a chance to create a wide democratic coalition of BYuT, OU-PSD and the Lytvyn Bloc, and we were working on it. Pres Yushchenko 'may suffer a substantial pratfall'.” [ [http://zik.com.ua/en/news/2008/10/09/152848 zik.com.ua, Yushchenko shoots himself in the foot - Aleksander Kwasniewski] ]

Expectations and forecasts

Polls show support of 20 percent each for Tymoshenko and Yanukovych and less than 10 percent for Viktor Yushchenko.

Public opinion polls

According to opinion polls carried out during first months of 2008, the support of current Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko and her bloc had grown and became first among parties after BYuT has come to power. [ [http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2008/3/11/72875.htm Гонка рейтингів: нові тенденції / Українська правда ] ]

Election time line

* October 9 - Dissolution of current parliament.
* October 10 - The Central Election Commission of Ukraine (CVK) is to make decision about giving an airtime for blocs and parties at the budget expense
* December 7 - Parliamentary Elections
* December 21 - Preliminary announcement of election results
* December 22 - Official final announcement of election results

Results

Results are expected no earlier than December 21, 2008.

Election results by parties and blocs

Registered parties and blocs

"Number in parentheses is the number of candidates the said party put forth to get into the Verkhovna Rada. Parties or blocs which have obtained at least 3% of the vote are in bold."

*Communist Party of Ukraine (444)
*Party of Regions (450)
*Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine (403)
*Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc (401)
*All-Ukrainian Union "Freedom" (351)
*Lytvyn's Bloc (260)
*Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (447)
*Socialist Party of Ukraine (282)
*All-Ukrainian Party of People's Trust (86)
*Party of National Economic Development of Ukraine (136)
*Bloc "All-Ukrainian Community" (103)
*Electoral bloc of Liudmyla Suprun – Ukrainian Regional Asset (387)
*Party of Free Democrats (85)
*Communist Party of Ukraine (renewed) (41)
*Peasant's Bloc "Agricultural Ukraine" (136)
*Party of Greens of Ukraine (147)
*Ukrainian People's Bloc (213)
*Electoral bloc of political parties "KUCHMA" (168)
*Bloc of Party of Pensioners of Ukraine (92)
*Christian's Bloc (225)

References

External links

* [http://www.cvk.gov.ua/vnd_2008// Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2008] – Central Election Commission of Ukraine
* [http://www.exitpoll.org.ua/en/ Exit poll]