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Books on Ukraine
REPUBLICAN REFERENCE
Area (sq.km)
603,700
Population
47,732,079
Principal
ethnic groups
Ukrainians 72.7%
Russians 22.1%
Jews 0.9%.
Capital
Kiev
Currency
Hryvnya
President
Viktor Yushchenko
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Update No: 303 - (30/03/06)
Ukraine is in a volatile political situation after elections
to the Rada on March 26th. It is clear that a coalition government is
inevitable; but also that any combination of parties is fragile and could well
not last.
On the positive side no one has disputed the fairness of the vote, unlike in the
presidential elections of 2004 that induced the 'Orange Revolution.'
Outcome of the elections to parliament
The official results of the parliamentary elections were released in Ukraine on
March 28th. In the final count, the share of the opposition Party of the Regions
was 32.06%, with former premier Yulia Timoshenko's bloc on 22.7%. Her party was
well ahead in the capital; and she is clearly the real winner. She is obviously
in a mood to settle scores.
The socialist party obtained 5.7%, while the communist party got 3.66%.
The pro-presidential Our Ukraine Party's vote came in at 14%.
The coalition debate in Ukraine
Two possible combinations of governmental coalition were evident even ahead of
the official results of the elections. The coalition could have been formed
either by the Orange forces (with Yulia Timoshenko's Bloc and Our Ukraine of
Viktor Yushchenko) or by Viktor Yanukovich's Party of Regions (in case
Socialists and Communists join him).
President Yushchenko was to be on the losing end in any event, whereas the
popularity of former Prime Minister Timoshenko was bound to keep on growing even
if she was not called to head the government again.
Three Parties Forming Coalition
March 29th?
Experts are still hesitant as to which parties will join which since all
parties are currently in talks with all others.
A memorandum on a coalition of Ukrainian parties Yulia Timoshenko Bloc, Our
Ukraine and the Socialists was made public on March 29th, reported Russian news
agency Itar-Tass. The memorandum said that Timoshenko's party will choose the
prime minister, as it received the most votes out of the coalition members in
the March 26th parliamentary elections.
The memorandum also lays out a general set of principles that the coalition
would strive to achieve as well as a formula for assigning important government
positions. But so far, Socialist party head Alexander Moroz is the only
coalition member to have signed the memorandum.
Timoshenko thrusting her way in
Despite the various possible combinations to form a coalition, politicians
discuss only one - the one that will unite all Orange forces. After Yulia
Timoshenko and Alexander Moroz had one-on-one meetings with President Viktor
Yushchenko, they declared the coalition of the three political forces (Yulia
Timoshenko's Bloc, Our Ukraine and the Socialist Party) is the only valid
option.
Yulia Timoshenko also noted that the people of Ukraine had made its choice, so
she should become prime minister. Alexander Moroz said he has no ambitions to
occupy the prime minister's seat and would agree to any way of choosing the
premier - either it would be the leader of the largest faction in the coalition
(i.e. Yulia Timoshenko) or a compromise person for all Orange forces.
Timoshenko's comeback will indeed be unpalatable for the president's team. She
has never made a secret of her enmity against the majority of Yushchenko's
allies. The former premier has insisted since the start of the election campaign
that the coalition with Yushchenko could be built only in case he disbands his
entourage. Should he do so, he would virtually entrust his fate to Yulia
Timoshenko, giving up any personal political ambitions.
Though this alliance would be exceptionally painful, Timoshenko does not
hesitate to criticize harshly the president and his team, which can hardly help
mend relations. Her talk is anything but emollient. She was brash enough to call
Yushchenko an "opportunist clutching at power" and labelled his aides
"fake Orange." She said that the good performance of her bloc at the
election was "a lesson given to the president."
Timoshenko's arrival at talks with Yushchenko was very expressive as well. She
decided to use the central entrance of the president's secretariat, which
foreign heads of states normally use. Besides that, Timoshenko decided that the
driver should take her right to the entrance, and she would not leave the car
until the president's security opened the gate, crossing Bankovskay street for
her.
Yulia Timoshenko's Bloc is the only one so far that has come up with schemes to
shape posts. Andrey Shkil, a deputy at the Supreme Rada, believes that the head
of Our Ukraine's election campaign Roman Bessmertny may become the parliament's
speaker while Alexander Moroz may be appointed Secretary of National Security
and Defence. Meanwhile, the party in office avoids speculations about the
government's line-up and the prime minister especially. "We should speak
about the development of the state, instead of discussing sharing seats,"
Prime Minister Yury Ekhanurov retorted. Our Ukraine's political council urged to
sign a memorandum to create a democratic coalition.
Yulia Timoshenko's bold stance at the talks is no accident. Her position is
exceptionally auspicious. She will benefit even if her bloc does not join the
coalition and she is not chosen prime minister.
Political Suicide of alternatives
Timoshenko has been adamant since the election campaign on one key matter,
saying that an alliance with Viktor Yanukovich is unacceptable to her. She is
not exaggerating the point, and the reason is not in the ideological
controversy.
Any union with the Party of Unions would be extremely unfavourable for her.
Firstly, she would be playing the role of a junior partner in the coalition with
Viktor Yanukovich, which she couldn't agree to. Secondly, the alliance with the
Blue would deal a serious blow to her image. Timoshenko owes her success to
Orange voters, the people who voted for Yushchenko at the presidential election
in 2004. She managed to convince them that she is the true bearer of values of
the revolution while the president betrayed them by signing a memorandum with
Viktor Yanukovich a few months earlier.
Should the new ruling coalition be built between the Party of Regions and Our
Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko will lose his last advocates, his rating will plummet
and Yulia Timoshenko will acquire new followers - those who used to support the
incumbent president. A coalition with Viktor Yanukovich will become political
suicide for Viktor Yushchenko, Yulia Timoshenko said.
The president had talks with the leader of the Party of Regions, but the form of
any future coalition was not discussed, Yanukovich reported. More detailed talks
are till apparently being conducted by others. Boris Tarasyuk, the Interior
Minister and Our Ukraine's leader, has even pointed to the conditions under
which the party in office could discuss a coalition with the Party of Regions.
These are the denial of the idea of a federal state, the refusal to give the
Russian language an official status and the acknowledgement of the Euro
integration path of Ukraine.
The union of former enemies would, however, play right into Yulia Timoshenko's
hands. Any such coalition would be likely to become very fragile. Should the new
Supreme Rada be dissolved, the result at any new election would be more
auspicious for Yulia Timoshenko, who has already mastered the art of a
successful opposition fight.
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BANKING
Banca Intesa completes deal to buy Ukrsotsbank stake
Banca Intesa SpA, Italy's second largest bank, has completed processing a deal
to buy 85.42 per cent of Ukrsotsbank (Kiev), Ukrsotsbank Chairman Boris Timonkin
said at a press conference recently, Interfax News Agency reported.
He said that as a result a possible suit filed by Ukrsotsbank minority
shareholder - the Cypriot company Tempsford Investments (which owns 7.2 per cent
of the bank) - will not be able to block the deal. Tempsford Investments plans
to file a suit to stop the additional share issue as part of the deal with Banca
Intesa. The Cypriot company states that it was illegally excluded from
participating in the issue and it did not receive the possibility to subscribe
for new shares.
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ENERGY
Ukraine vows to modernise natural gas network
Ukrainian Prime Minister, Yuriy Yekanurov, said recently in the Polish capital
Warsaw, his country would modernise its natural gas pipeline and storage network
within the next five years, Deutsche-Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.
Yekanurov also said Kiev intended to conclude new natural gas contracts, beef-up
underground storage tanks and boost electricity sales abroad, Polish Radio
reported.
Two recent energy crises in Ukraine and several European Union states caused by
Russian cuts of natural gas deliveries to Ukraine have spurred the move to
modernise, Yekanurov observed. Ukraine plans to double its underground reserves
of natural gas in western areas within the coming years. Yekanurov said extra
profits from increased transit fees paid by Russia to Ukraine for gas transfers
across its territory will be used to finance modernisation costs. Ukraine
intends to sign new contracts for natural gas deliveries from central Asia.
Yekhanurov said earlier Ukraine plans to propose that EU and other foreign
investors to take part in the construction of new gas pipelines though its
territory, with the possibility of subsequently privatising these pipelines. The
premier said the government would take all the necessary steps to attract
foreign capital into an international consortium that is currently building the
Bohorodchany-Uzhgorod gas pipeline.
Gas deal will confirm stable price for 5 yrs
Ukrainian President, Viktor Yushchenko, hopes a Ukrainian-Russian
intergovernmental agreement will confirm a stable price for gas for the next
five years - the price documented in the agreement on setting up a joint venture
to deliver gas. "The president is well aware that this is a compromise
variant for Ukraine," Anatoly Matviyenko, deputy head of the presidential
secretariat said. This document will settle the problem of Turkmen gas, linkage
between the gas transit price and stable price at least for the next five years,
New Europe reported.
Nuclear fuel production units to be built in 12 yrs
Nuclear fuel production facilities may be built in Ukraine within the next 12
years, Ukrainian Prime Minister, Yuriy Yekhanurov, said. "A nuclear fuel
cycle will exist in Ukraine. But one needs 12 years of intensive and active
work," Yekhanurov said in a speech to students of the Lviv Polytechnic
National University in Lviv, New Europe reported.
Today Ukraine "fully depends on fresh nuclear fuel from Russia," he
said. "We should draw certain conclusions, and we are making them,"
the prime minister said. The creation of a nuclear fuel cycle is hampered, in
particular, by disagreements between two scientific institutions, Yekhanurov
said. "There are two schools: however, they are rivals and unwilling to
cooperate. There are problems of scientific vision," he said. The Ukrainian
government is reviewing the issue of joining enterprises that may take part in
nuclear fuel production, he said. They include the Sevastopol university of
Nuclear Fuel and Industry, the Kharkiv Physics and Technical University and
other enterprises. "We will do our best in order that these enterprises
work towards implementing the idea," Yekhanurov said.
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JOINT VENTURES
JV set up in Ukraine to sell Isuzu cars in CIS
The Bogdan Corporation, part of the Ukrprominvest group of companies, and
Japan's Isuzu Motors Lt. and Sojitz Holdings Corp, signed a trilateral contract
to set up the joint venture, Isuzu Ukraine Automobile Company, Serhiy Krasulya,
Bogdan's press secretary, said, Interfax News Agency reported.
The joint venture will specialise in selling Isuzu trucks and busses in Ukraine,
as well as increase truck and bus exports from Ukraine to CIS markets, including
Russia, he said. Bogdan will own 50 per cent of charter capital in the joint
venture, Isuzu Motors will have 30 per cent and Sojitz Holdings will own 20 per
cent. Such a distribution shows "the high level of trust the Japanese
partners have for the Bogdan Corporation," Krasulya said, citing Bogdan
President, Oleh Svynarchuk. The joint venture's main office will be in Kiev.
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MINERALS & METALS
Ilyich steel mill reduces roll output 9% in Jan.
Ilyich Metallurgical Combine of Mariupol (MMK) reduced finished roll
production tentatively up 8.8 per cent year-on-year to 444,000 tonnes in
January, the Ukrainian steel major said, Interfax News Agency reported.
Pig iron production fell 0.9 per cent to 422,000 tonnes and crude steel was down
7.8 per cent to 544,000 tonnes. Sinter output fell 13.2 per cent to 1.022
million tonnes and steel pipe output fell 33.3 per cent to 3,800 tonnes. In
December 2005, the mill produced 494,000 tonnes of finished roll, 623,000 tonnes
of crude steel, 472,000 tonnes of pig iron, 1.137 million tonnes of sinter and
7,300 tonnes of pipes. The mill raised finished roll production 3.1 per cent to
5.537 million tonnes in 2005.
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