Скачать или смотреть Ukrainians hold rival rallies, opposition leaders address crowd

(31 Mar 2007)
1. Opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko speaking at rally
2. Close up of banner, tilt down to Tymoshenko
3. Cutaway of news media
4. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of opposition in parliament:
"We will need to get together for this all-national "veche" (public forum) as many times as required to put politicians in their place, to give politicians our directives, to peacefully, quietly, but forcefully influence what politicians do with Ukraine."
5. Various of rally
6. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Vox Pop, Galina, local resident and opposition supporter:
"Our expectations of the year 2006, when the Parliament was elected, did not come true. That's why we came out today to say our "no" to this Supreme Rada, which absolutely betrays the people's interests and doesn't implement the laws the people need."
7. Various of rally
STORYLINE:
More than 70-thousand Ukrainians rallied in the centre of Kiev on Saturday to press President Viktor Yushchenko to dissolve parliament and call new elections, deepening a political feud between the president and premier.
The demonstrators were unhappy with attempts by the president's chief political rival, Primer Minister Viktor Yanukovych, to expand his power base in parliament by siphoning away lawmakers from pro-Yushchenko factions.
The move has significantly strengthened Yanukovych's control over the former Soviet republic.
Earlier on Saturday, the increasingly sidelined Yushchenko, who did not attend the evening rally, accused Yanukovych of breaking promises he made in a power-sharing agreement and trying to amass more power by poaching lawmakers from the blocs that support the president.
Yushchenko has expressed concerns that Yanukovych could strengthen his parliamentary majority to 3-hundred seats in the 450-seat parliament, enough to override presidential vetoes and make changes to the constitution.
Yushchenko threatened to dissolve the Verkhovna Rada, or Supreme Council, if the situation did not change.
Seeking to push him to go ahead with the threat, his political backers called supporters out into Kiev's Independence Square, which was the epicentre of the 2004 Orange Revolution protests that ushered Yushchenko into power.
The demonstrators accused Yanukovych of effectively trying to revise the results of last year's parliamentary election.
"We will need to get together for this all-national "veche" (public forum) as many times as required to put politicians in their place, to give politicians our directives, to peacefully, quietly, but forcefully influence what politicians do with Ukraine," opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko told the crowd.
Meanwhile, a smaller crowd of about 20-thousand Yanukovych supporters held a rival rally nearby.
Dissolving parliament could plunge Ukraine into a new political crisis, particularly if Yanukovych's coalition, which denies Yushchenko's allegations and argues there is no constitutional basis for dissolving parliament, refused to abide by the president's decision.
If Yushchenko backs down, he could find himself politically weakened and isolated. On Saturday, his party passed a resolution appealing to the president to dissolve parliament.
The standoff between the president and prime minister arose earlier this month after 11 lawmakers allied with the president defected and crossed over into Yanukovych's coalition.
The move violated a new law that compels lawmakers to remain with the party they were elected with.
The constitution also requires that political coalitions must be formed between entire parties, not individual lawmakers or small groups of lawmakers.

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...