Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko speaks during his televised address in Kiev Oct. 8, 2008. (Chinese media/Reuters Photo)
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KIEV, Oct. 9 (Chinese media) -- Ukrainian President Viktor
Yushchenko on Wednesday dissolved parliament and called an early election amid
mounting political chaos at home and threat from the spreading international
financial crisis.
"In accordance with the Constitution I announce the
dissolution of the sixth parliament and call an early vote," he said in a
televised address to the nation after lawmakers missed a deadline to form a new
coalition government. He later set Dec. 7 as the date for elections.
Yushchenko's "Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense" bloc
withdrew from the nine-month-old coalition with Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko
on Sept. 3 after the latter joined with the opposition Party of Regions in a
parliamentary vote to adopt a series of law which strip the president of some
powers.
Under Ukraine's constitution, the president can
dissolve the parliament if a new governing coalition is not formed within 30
days after the previous one collapses.
Wednesday's announcement came as the often prickly
relationship between Yushchenko and Tymoshenko, the two former allies, were sent
into a nose-dive driven by their divergence on domestic and foreign policies.
The two were strong allies in the 2004 presidential
election and 2007 parliamentary votes, but they have long been at odds on how to
tackle the country's rampant inflation, sell state assets and spend budgets.
On foreign policy, Yushchenko is seeking closer ties
with the European Union and NATO, while the prime minister favors balanced ties
with Russia.
Trading of accusations between the two has also
escalated, with Yushchenko accusing Tymoshenko of "selling out" Ukraine to
others and adding that her bad management has resulted in the country's slow
economic growth and caused inflation to soar.
"I am deeply convinced that the democratic coalition
was ruined by one thing -- the ambition of one person and her greed for power.
There were no economic reforms, just social populism, which lead to inflation
and declines in living standards," Yushchenko said in Wednesday's televised
address.
Tymoshenko, on the other hand, has accused the
president of orchestrating the collapse of the coalition in his bid to get rid
of potential rivals and win the presidential election scheduled for 2010. Both
are seen as likely rivals in the 2010 race, and Tymoshenko is far ahead of
Yushchenko in recent opinion polls.
The December vote will be the third parliamentary
election in three years and is almost certain to mark the end of the efforts to
maintain the troubled Yushchenko-Tymoshenko alliance.
Yushchenko's announcement has caused further worries
about the country's economy which is facing a difficult situation amid the
spreading of the international financial crisis.
Inflation hit 16.1 percent in the first nine months
of this year. The country's currency has seen large devaluations in recent
weeks. The real estate market has been plunged into a downturn. Falling prices
of steel, Ukraine's top export item, have led to the shutdown of most iron and
steel plants. Lack of liquidity has troubled banks.
Recently polls showed that a snap election would not
produce a clear victory for any party. The Tymoshenko-led coalition got a
support rate of just 23.3 percent, the Regional Party led by Viktor Yanukovich
netted some 20.6 percent, while Yushchenko's party, 7.1 percent.
Thus, no political stability nor economic prosperity
is likely to be in the offing after the elections, analysts said.
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