Ukraine: end of protests in parliament

The Party of the Regions began blocking the parliamentary podium last Tuesday as the new coalition was planning to call a vote on naming Yulia Tymoshenko prime minister.

Photo: Ukraine: end of protests in parliament

The party, led by President Viktor Yushchenko's 2004 election rival Yanukovych, won the most votes in the March parliamentary election, but has been shut out of power after the three parties that led the 2004 Orange Revolution formed a new coalition last month.

Under the agreement between the three "Orange" parties, Yushchenko's estranged ally Tymoshenko gets her premier's job back, while his top aide, Petro Poroshenko, receives the speaker's job.

It also demanded chairmanships of key parliamentary committees and first deputy speaker post, sparking Orange coalition accusations of blackmail. Parliamentary leaders launched consultations on Monday to find a way out of the political crisis, the Ap reports.

It was not immediately clear what the exact division of parliamentary committees would be but the opposition, at a minimum, appeared likely to get chairmanships of just under half of all committees. There was no information on who would get the first deputy speaker's job.