Verkhovna Rada Ousts Yatsenyuk by Illya M
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INSIDE: • Borys Tarasyuk: moving forward in U.S.-Ukraine relations – page 7. • Holodomor anniversary marked in Morris County, N.J. – page 8. • Shevchenko Scientific Society archives on the Holodomor – page 11. THEPublished U byKRAINIAN the Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal non-profitW associationEEKLY Vol. LXXVI No. 46 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2008 $1/$2 in Ukraine Ukraine moves Verkhovna Rada ousts Yatsenyuk by Illya M. Labunka to stabilize Special to The Ukrainian Weekly KYIV – Ukraine’s Parliament plunged financial system into deeper instability as Verkhovna Rada leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk was voted out of by Pavel Korduban the Verkhovna Rada in a tense session Eurasia Daily Monitor highlighted by shouting matches, fistfights Ukraine has secured a big loan from and broken glass. the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in On November 12, 233 members of order to stabilize its finances amid the Parliament out of the 350 registered in the global crisis. To qualify for the loan, par- legislature’s main chamber ousted Mr. ties in the Verkhovna Rada agreed to set Yatsenyuk as chairman of the continuously aside their differences and pass stabiliza- troubled Verkhovna Rada. tion laws proposed by President Viktor Due to the recently formed alliance Yushchenko. Thanks to this, Ukraine man- consisting of the Party of Regions of aged to stabilize its currency, the hryvnia. Ukraine (PRU), the Volodymyr Lytvyn The government also persuaded the Bloc, the Communist Party of Ukraine owners of two problem banks, (CPU) and Single Center, a spin-off fac- PromInvestBank and Nadra, to sell them. tion of the Our Ukraine – People’s Self- Both may fall under Russian control. Defense (OU-PSD) bloc, the 34-year-old As the global crisis erupted, the hryvnia Mr. Yatsenyuk was removed as leader of plunged by over 20 percent against the Ukraine’s Parliament. As a result, 175 national deputies of the U.S. dollar. Several Ukrainian banks that UNIAN were heavily dependent on foreign loans PRU, 20 from the Lytvyn Bloc, 27 of the Verkhovna Rada Chair Arseniy Yatsenyuk votes on the evening of November 11 faced default. PromInvestBank, the coun- CPU, 10 representing the OU-PSD bloc on whether he should be dismissed from his position. That vote failed; however, try’s sixth largest bank, had to turn to the and one member of the YTB, namely Ihor the Rada chair was ousted after a second vote the next day. National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) for sta- Rybakov, voted for the removal of Mr. bilization loans and to call in NBU man- Yatsenyuk. In Resolution No. 3357, introduced by unite the political forces, as well as a reac- agers. Mr. Rybakov is considered to be one of the chairman himself, Mr. Yatsenyuk tem- tion to the adoption of a whole range of The government of Prime Minister the catalysts behind this past summer’s porarily limited his authority in order to anti-crisis packages, and, ultimately, it was Yulia Tymoshenko appealed to the IMF demise of the democratic coalition in quell all possible accusations that he did probably a reply to my independent posi- for assistance. In order to qualify for IMF Parliament, as well as an ally of Presidential not want to resign. He had submitted his tion in the Ukrainian Parliament,” Mr. financing, Ukraine’s Parliament passed a Secretariat Chairman Viktor Baloha, who resignation after the democratic coalition Yatsenyuk commented. package of stabilization measures on is an arch rival to Prime Minister Yulia collapsed back in September, but stayed on The session that deposed Mr. Yatsenyuk October 31. This was the first big piece of Tymoshenko. as acting chairman. was not without incident, as members of legislation since the summer, when the Chairman Yatsenyuk’s ultimate ouster The initial vote to limit the chair’s power the YTB and the PRU clashed with words ruling coalition of Mr. Yushchenko and actually came as little or no surprise to the was passed. Later that same day another and fists in their attempts to gain control of Ms. Tymoshenko broke apart. The pack- Verkhovna Rada leader himself, as exem- vote removed Mr. Yatsenyuk as chairman the Parliament’s electronic voting system age, drafted by the president was approved plified by the fact that during the early of the Rada. called “Rada.” Members of the YTB con- by 243 deputies, who represented the par- stage of the morning plenary session Mr. Following his ouster, Mr. Yatsenyuk said sider Mr. Yatsenyuk an ally and therefore ties of Mr. Yushchenko and Ms. Yatsenyuk had already temporarily been he did not consider the outcome of the vote opposed the attempt to oust the speaker by removed by vote as chairman of the plena- a personal tragedy. “Most likely such a (Continued on page 16) ry session for a period of two days. result was a response to my proposals to (Continued on page 19) Philadelphia community remembers the 10 million PHILADELPHIA – Com- 1932-1933 in Ukraine” proclaimed the memorative concert and exhibit mark- large banner hanging outside the ing the 75th anniversary of the church. The commanding sign attract- Holodomor took place on October 26 ed Philadelphians and visitors to the at the Episcopal Church of the Holy concert and to the exhibit. Trinity. The Holodomor concert was opened The event summoned the memory by Ulana Baluch Mazurkevich, chair- of the tragedy with the highest quality person of the Community Committee of performance and reflected its emo- to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary tional depth with elegance. It was of the Holodomor and also the mis- hailed by community leaders here as tress of ceremonies for this event. one of the most successful events in Ms. Mazurkevich welcomed the the history of Philadelphia’s Ukrainian crowd of close to 1,000 to the community. “Remembering 10 million Victims The Philadelphia Community Concert.” She recalled that in 1986 the Committee to Commemorate the 75th U.S. Congress established the U.S. Anniversary of the Famine-Genocide Commission on the Ukraine Famine, in Ukraine organized the solemn con- of which she was a public member. cert and exhibit. The venue was the The commission’s final report, which prestigious Church of the Holy Trinity was submitted and adopted by Ihor Fedoriw located on Rittenhouse Square. Congress, concluded that “the Famine Members of Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization and the Voloshky Ukrainian “Remembering the 10 Million Dance Ensemble outside the Church of the Holy Trinity. Victims of Famine-Genocide (Continued on page 13) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2008 No. 46 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS There’s little hope in Moscow Snap elections may be rescheduled change the course our country is follow- ing,” he said. At the same time, Mr. for breakthrough in relations with U.S. WARSAW – Ukrainian President Yushchenko said he does not consider the Viktor Yushchenko said on November 12 PRU to be only Russian-oriented and that he refuses to hold snap elections to by Pavel Felgenhauer opposed to Ukraine’s integration with the fighting terrorism. Ms. Gottemoeller the Parliament in December, but believes Eurasia Daily Monitor believes that even before officially taking European Union. He said that the Our they could take place in 2009. “There’s Ukraine party is a 100 percent pro-Europe- November 6 office, Mr. Obama must reach out to the no point in holding the elections during Russian military and press the Pentagon to an political force in Ukraine, while the holidays at the end of the year,” he told Communist Party is exclusively an anti- There seems to be a serious desire in invite Russian naval commanders to stop journalists in Warsaw while on a visit to Washington to try to improve faltering over at Central Command in Florida to European party. Other parties, in his opin- Poland. “We’re doing all we can to bring ion, have both pro-European politicians relations with Moscow, which were “discuss urgent issues that are engaging the package of anti-crisis measures and strained by the Russian invasion of both navies, such as the piracy running and those with opposite views. “The same the budget for 2009 in line with clauses is true of the Party of Regions. It is not a Georgia in August. It is expected that the rampant off Somalia.” The Russians will on the financing of the early elections,” new U.S. administration will try to show be returning home after exercises off the group devoid of the feeling of patriotism,” Mr. Yushchenko said. On October 29 the Mr. Yushchenko said, commenting on its ability to parley and achieve results coast of Venezuela in mid-November Verkhovna Rada refused to support a bill where the administration of George W. (Moscow Times, November 1). what could happen if pro-Russian forces, on funding the snap elections. particularly the PRU, gain power in the Bush failed. The START nuclear arms Such an invitation might indeed be a (Ukrinform) control treaty, which was negotiated before smart PR move, but naval commanders do country. He said that the PRU has a lot of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, not decide Russian defense or foreign pol- President denies revival of coalition entrepreneurs doing their business not only will end in December 2009. Without icy. At present, the Russian military does in Russia, but also in the European Union WARSAW – Ukrainian President Viktor START and its mutual verification and on- not have any representation and little and the United States. “The majority [of Yushchenko said on November 12 that he site inspection regimes, strategic nuclear influence in the country’s top leadership. national deputies] in this party also do not believes the only way out of the current arms control will end.