Tymoshenko.ua

According to political analyst Oleksiy Holobutsky, if Yulia Tymoshenko wins the presidential race, there will not be pre-term parliamentary elections.

"If Tymoshenko wins, she has the chance of implementing policy. She is prime minister and has public support. When it comes to fulfilling promises, Tymoshenko seems more reliable than her competitor. We won’t have a new parliamentary campaign, and the like. Ukrainians care more about which presidential candidate will ensure stability. In this sense, Tymoshenko looks like convincing and attractive than Yanukovych," he believes.

Tymoshenko.ua

Political analyst Kost Bondarenko believes that Ukraine under a Yulia Tymoshenko presidency differs by having a balanced policy in relations with Europe and Russia.

"Yulia Tymoshenko is oriented toward adding Ukraine to the Paris-Berlin-Moscow triangle so that this three-sided structure is based on gas transportation priorities. Well, and of course, Ukraine has a huge role to play in this triangle. She has equal relations with European and Russian politics," said Kost Bоndarenko, responding to the question of what kind foreign policy course should Ukraine take and the domestic policy of Yulia Tymoshenko’s presidency.

The political observer emphasized that the current Prime Minister is received well in Europe and in Russia alike. "She obviously will accent the need to conduct a balanced policy with Europe and Russia. Moreover, she will initiate relations with Belarus on a regional level," he added.

Tymoshenko.ua

Political analyst Volodymyr Tsybulko believes that as president, Yulia Tymoshenko will be able to reform Ukraine.

"I believe that Tymoshenko will implement reforms quickly. She can implement many projects at once," he said, when asked what path Ukraine will take under a Yulia Tymoshenko presidency.

He believes that Yulia Tymoshenko is capable of building a correct social system. "One of the first elements could potentially be health insurance," he said.

Tsybulko believes that Yulia Tymoshenko, as a person, is much more interesting for society than Viktor Yanukovych. "She’s interesting because she doesn’t have to enter the public administration system anew. She has been the main decision-maker during this period of crisis. Tymoshenko, as president, would know everything from economic problems to monetary policy, etc. She knows this all perfectly."

Tymoshenko.ua

Political analyst Vitaliy Bala believes that the main task for the future president is to resolve the political crisis in Ukraine.

"Yulia Tymoshenko has a greater chance of resolving this issue. Then we can talk about the opportunity to fix socio-economic problems. The foreign policy aspect, once these problems are resolved, looks more attractive with Tymoshenko as president than Yanukovych," he said when asked what Ukraine will look like with Tymoshenko as president.

Meanwhile, political analyst Ihor Zhdanov added that with Tymoshenko as president, Ukraine will look to Europe. "Yulia Tymoshenko has repeatedly stated that her civilized choice is Europe. That is where she sees Ukraine’s main potential for development. The Batkivshchyna Party is an associate member of the European People’s Party and Tymoshenko has good relations with such European leaders as Sakozy, Merkel and others."

Zhdanov also believes that the main problem for Yulia Tymoshenko as president will be securing visa-free travel to the European Union. "To obtain Schengen visas, you have to sign dialogue and cooperation agreements. As for domestic policy, Tymoshenko has clearly stated her position. She is for Ukrainian being the only state language. She will also take a more pragmatic approach to relations between Ukraine and Russia."

Published in NRCU

The assistance being provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to Ukraine bolsters the economic growth, reform and modernization of the country's most important economic branches - energy and energy saving, transport and communications, and municipal infrastructure.

Ukrainian Vice-Premier for European and International Integration Hryhoriy Nemyria said this at a meeting with EBRD President Thomas Mirow at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, according to the vice-premier's press service. "The Ukrainian government highly appreciates a constructive cooperation between Ukraine and the EBRD. Financial assistance from the bank is marked by reliability, a clear goal orientation and favorable loan provision conditions," he said. EBRD Director for Ukraine Andre Kuusvek said earlier that the bank's strategy for 2010 did not foresee a reduction in the number of loans for Ukraine. The volume of business operations conducted on the EBRD's projects as of late 2009 totaled EUR 4.8 billion. Three fourths of these funds were transferred to the country's private sector.

Tymoshenko.ua

The results of the first round of voting in the presidential elections in Ukraine have been summed up.

The results announced by the Central Election Commission of the first round show a definite alignment of political forces and people’s opinions, and I greatly respect their choice.

I thank everyone who came to the polls and voted. Having analyzed the programs of all the presidential candidates that ran in the first round, having carefully studied the proposed reforms and consequences, and having compared their campaign programs with mine, I want to take this opportunity to officially offer Serhiy Tihipko the post of Prime Minister of Ukraine after my victory in the presidential elections.

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Published in Inform issue #138
See the full issue here.

Prime Minister and Presidential Candidate Yulia Tymoshenko has offered Sergiy Tihipko the post of prime minister. The offer follows a good showing by the 49-year old former banker in the first round of the presidential elections.

Mr Tihipko came third in the polls with a credible 13.06 percent of the vote. Ms Tymoshenko came second with 25.05 percent, leaving her a 10 percentage point gap to overcome first placed Viktor Yanukovych on 35.32 percent.

"I have offered him the post of prime minister," said Ms Tymoshenko, who proposed to unite their two programmes. “It would be a logical step as 90 percent of his policies are my policies,” she said.

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Published in The Globe and Mail

Yulia Tymoshenko, the Prime Minister of Ukraine, is the better of the two remaining candidates for the country's presidency, after the first round of the election on Jan. 17. She is more liberal, both politically and economically, and more pro-Western than Viktor Yanukovich.

Mr. Yanukovich's vote surpassed hers by 10 percentage points, but the 40 per cent that went to other candidates, now eliminated, is now available for the second round, on Feb. 7.

Read the full article at The Globe and Mail

Published in Inform issue #137
See the full issue here.

If the first round of Ukraine’s presidential elections was a game of soccer then the half-time result would be 0-0, with both teams poised to win or lose in the second half. This follows the preliminary results from the Central Election Commission, which confirms a 10 percentage point gap between the leading candidate in the polls, Viktor Yanukovych, and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Mr Yanukovych, the twice convicted leader of the oligarch dominated Party of Regions polled 35.32 percent, with Ms Tymoshenko in second place with 25.05 percent of the vote. As neither candidate polled more than 50 percent, the pair will face each other in a head-to-head contest on 7 February.

Political analysts believe there is potential for the premier to close the gap. This is because some voters who supported the other pro-democratic candidates will switch their allegiance to Ms Tymoshenko, in a desperate bid to keep out Mr Yanukovych.

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Published by Financial Times

Yulia Tymoshenko offered the job of prime minister to defeated presidential candidate Sergei Tigipko on Wednesday, in an attempt to win over his supporters ahead of next month’s run-off for the Ukrainian presidency against Viktor Yanukovich.

Mr Tigipko, who is seen as kingmaker after being eliminated in the first round, has so far declined to back either candidate. His votes are seen as crucial if Ms Tymoshenko, the current prime minister, is to beat Mr Yanukovich, who won the first round by a margin of 10 points. Mr Tigipko won 13 per cent of the first round votes.

Read the full story at ft.com

Published in The Jamestown Foundation
By Taras Kuzio

Viktor Yanukovych and Yulia Tymoshenko will face each other in round two of the fifth Ukrainian presidential elections on February 7. In foreign and security policies there are seven key differences between both candidates.

1. The Black Sea Fleet based in Sevastopol. Yanukovych’s election program proclaims support for Ukraine’s neutrality and opposes Ukraine’s membership of military blocs. Nevertheless, on many occasions Yanukovych has stated his readiness to discuss prolonging the Black Sea Fleet’s (BSF) base in Sevastopol beyond 2017, when the twenty year treaty expires.

Is this a contradiction? Of course, but this is nothing new, while Tymoshenko has never supported the prolongation of the BSF base.

2. Relations with Russia. Both candidates are seeking to improve relations with Russia, but in very different ways. First, Yanukovych has repeatedly stated that he supports Russia’s proposals for a new European security architecture that NATO has received with skepticism (UNIAN, January 12). Second, Tymoshenko has never mentioned the Russian proposal nor has she ever endorsed it.

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Published in Interfax

The European People's Party (EPP) has called on all democratic forces and its partners in Ukraine to consolidate and support Yulia Tymoshenko in the second round of the presidential election.

EPP President Wilfried Martens said this in a statement on Monday. "For the second round, the EPP expresses its supportfor Yulia Tymoshenko, since she is the only democratic pro-European candidate. Thus, the EPP calls on all democratic forces of Ukraine andEPP partners in Ukraine to consolidate and support Yulia Tymoshenko, in order to prevent the return of the political forces of the past, to preserve the ideals of the Orange Revolution, and to open a new European path for Ukraine. I call on all other democratic candidates of the first round not to abstain from the second round and to unite their efforts in order to support democracy in Ukraine," the statement reads.

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Published in Kyiv Post

Party of Regions deputy head Hanna Herman said on Jan. 19 that presidential front-runner Victor Yanukovych will not take part in televised debates with his rival, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, before the second round of the presidential election on Feb. 7.

“There is nothing for Victor Fedorovych to talk about with Tymoshenko,” Herman told the Kyiv Post. Herman also disavowed party statements made before the first round of voting that Yanukovych would “definitely take part in TV debates with the candidate who will enter the second round.” http://www.partyofregions.org.ua/eng/pr-east-west/4b39c3e07fb04/

Deputy Prime Minister Hryhoriy Nemyrya, one of Tymoshenko's closest advisers, blasted Yanukovych's refusal to debate. "By not debating, Yanukovych shows his weakness and lack of European values," Nemyrya said at a news conference the same day. "There are no debates in countries that are authoritarian and where there is no free speech."

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The President of the European People’s Party (EPP) Wilfried Martens congratulated today Yulia Tymoshenko for receiving about 25% of the vote in Ukraine’s first round of Presidential elections and passing into the second round of 7th February:

“On behalf of the EPP, I congratulate Yulia Tymoshenko for her success in the first round of the Presidential elections in Ukraine. I believe that a strong foundation for Tymoshenko’s victory in the second round of the elections was laid down today.

Yulia Tymoshenko has demonstrated modern leadership, responsibility and political courage. Despite all pressures, the ability to keep her dignity is an example of real statesmanship.

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Tymoshenko.ua

The head of Yulia Tymoshenko’s central election headquarters Oleksandr Turchynov has reported that based on the results of the parallel vote count conducted by representatives of BYuT, the difference in votes received by Yulia Tymoshenko and Viktor Yanukovych in the first round of presidential elections in no more than 4%.

"We already have a result that shows that during the first round of voting Viktor Yanukovych received 32.1% of votes, Yulia Tymoshenko – 27.7%, Serhiy Tihipko – 12.9%, Arseniy Yatseniuk – 6.9%, and Viktor Yushchenko – 5.4%," Oleksandr Turchynov said today at a press conference.

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Tymoshenko.ua

Political analyst Viktor Nebozhenko believes that more than half of voters who in the first round voted for other candidates from the democratic camp will vote for Yulia Tymoshenko in the second round of voting.

"Irrespective of whether Tymoshenko’s talks with outsider candidates are successful, more than half of voters who voted for Serhiy Tihipko, Arseniy Yatseniuk, Viktor Yushchenko and Volodymyr Lytvyn will certainly supporter her," Viktor Nebozhenko said in an interview with Deutsche Welle.

He believes this kind of support for Yulia Tymoshenko will help her beat Viktor Yanukovych in the presidential election vote.

As reported, presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko had earlier announced that she is ready to start negotiations with candidates from the democratic forces regarding consolidation for her victory in the runoff vote.

"I’m open to negotiations in order to move forward with the unified democratic forces. I think this is the task of all democratic forces who represent 60% of the people so that in the second round Yanukovych doesn’t get one additional vote," Yulia Tymoshenko said.

She appealed to those voters who voted in the first round for other democratic camp representatives with the call to support her candidacy in the second round of voting.

Tymoshenko.ua

One of the leaders of BYuT, Vice Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Mykola Tomenko believes that televised debates between Yulia Tymoshenko and Viktor Yanukovych will play an important role in the second round of the elections.

"The debates will provide the opportunity to identify a strategy for the country's future development," he said on Channel 5.

He is confident that the negative trends in presidential elections are over. "The first round was an election in which sixteen of the eighteen candidates criticized Yulia Tymoshenko. I am convinced that in the second round the war against one candidate will stop and the fight for Ukraine will begin," Mykola Tomenko said.

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Tymoshenko.ua

The head of Yulia Tymoshenko’s campaign headquarters Oleksandr Turchynov has said that the preliminary results of voting in the first round of presidential elections give them optimism.

"I’m confident that the second round, which will be held in three weeks, won’t bring any surprises but great joy for our country and its future," Oleksandr Turchynov said at a press conference.

Tymoshenko.ua

The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc will insist that the Verkhovna Rada make the consideration of changes to the presidential election law during the next plenary week a priority issue.

"We will insist that changes being blocked by the Party of Regions be made to the presidential election law," First Vice Prime Minister Oleksandr Turchynov said during a briefing.

On January 14, people’s deputy from BYuT Serhiy Mishchenko announced that BYuT will demand that the draft changes to the presidential election law be considered during the next session of the Verkhovna Rada on January 19.

"We don’t have much time left for all the procedures, for the President to sign the law, and to publish it before the second round of elections," he said

Tymoshenko.ua

Candidate for President and current Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko cast her vote today along with her husband Oleksandr at polling station #2, territorial election district #26 in Dnipropetrovsk.

Her daughter Eugenia was also present at the polling station.

After casting her vote, Yulia Tymoshenko told journalists that today marks a new path for Ukraine. "We need to build a happy state, so that every person can have what they want," she said.

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Tymoshenko.ua

On January 17, 2010, Ukrainians will go to the polls to elect a new president.

According to the Constitution, the President is the Head of State, the guarantor of state sovereignty and territorial indivisibility of Ukraine, the observance of the Constitution of Ukraine and human and citizens' rights and freedoms.

The President of Ukraine is elected by the citizens of Ukraine for a five-year term, on the basis of universal, equal, and direct suffrage, by secret ballot.

A citizen of Ukraine who has attained the age of thirty-five, has the right to vote, has resided in Ukraine for the past ten years prior to the day of elections, and has command of the state language, may be elected as the President of Ukraine.

The President of Ukraine shall not have another representative mandate, hold office in bodies of state power or in associations of citizens, and also perform any other paid or entrepreneurial activity, or be a member of an administrative body or board of supervisors of an enterprise that is aimed at making profit.

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Tymoshenko.ua

Thanks to the efforts of the Yulia Tymoshenko government, the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) has restored its programs in Ukraine, which will help increase American investment in Ukraine.

"OPIC is pleased to once again make available its support for U.S. investment in Ukraine, a development which we anticipate will send a highly positive signal to prospective investors in the country," said OPIC Acting President Dr. Lawrence Spinelli.

OPIC provides financing and political risk insurance to American companies investing in Ukraine. The decision to reopen OPIC for Ukraine was approved on December 17, 2009.

According to Spinelli, "This historic occasion is indicative of Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to improve its investment climate, and we commend the Ukrainian government for its hard work in bringing about this result. We look forward to working with both U.S. and Ukrainian businesses to facilitate new levels of American investment in Ukraine."

The original dispute involved OPIC payment in 1999 of an insurance claim to the U.S. sponsor of a project in Ukraine and a prolonged inability to settle the dispute resulted in suspension of OPIC programs in the country. Previously, OPIC had provided more than $254 million in financing and insurance to 21 projects in Ukraine.

Tymoshenko.ua

Prime Minister and presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko believes Ukraine’s main foreign policy priority should be membership in the European Union.

"My guiding principle for Ukraine’s foreign policy is very concise: 'EU-YES'. We are an organic, historical, geographical and cultural part of Europe. We do not need to return to Europe, because we never mentally left it. Ukraine is Europe, and Europe will have to reckon with this fact," Yulia Tymoshenko said in an interview in the Lviv newspaper "Express."

According to the Prime Minister, the issue of Ukraine’s full integration into European structures is only a matter of time. "And this time isn’t measured in decades. I think that Ukraine will become a full-fledged member of the European Union very soon."

She recalled that "when Europe was only getting up on its feet, Kyiv already had Europe's largest library, and alumni of medieval Ukrainian universities "were valued as much as graduates of Harvard and Oxford today. We are Europeans."

At the same time she stressed that as the head of government she protects Ukraine’s national interests in relations with Russia. "Nobody has the right to tell us what to do in our own home," the Prime Minister noted.

Tymoshenko.ua

Presidential candidate and current Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko announced that over the course of the year an Association Agreement will be signed between Ukraine and the European Union.

"During the year I’m setting the task of signing an agreement on our political association with the European Union. And second, I’m convinced that we’ll also construct the needed preconditions for the creation of a free trade agreement between Ukraine and Europe," announced Yulia Tymoshenko at a press conference today.

Yulia Tymoshenko stated that in five years as being president she’ll put forth maximum effort to ensure Ukraine’s membership to the EU. "I will do everything so that in this period, as long as I’m president, Ukraine joins the European Union," she announced.

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Tymoshenko.ua

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has promised that Ukraine will always be a reliable energy partner for Europe.

"Ukraine, will remain a reliable partner as a transporter of natural gas to Europe," she said today during a press conference.

The Prime Minister underscored that the contract signed with Russia for ten years and is the foundation and guarantee of stability and predictability.

Earlier she had noted that Ukraine continues to pay its gas bill on time and in full. "We will accurately fulfill our functions in transiting Russian gas."

Yulia Tymoshenko also assured that in 2010 Ukraine will ensure the stable transit of Russian gas. "I offer an absolute guarantee of stability. In 18 years Ukraine has not
once interrupted the transit of Russian gas to Europe. We will not, and everyone should be sure of this," she said.

Tymoshenko.ua

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko signed a five-year agreement on regional development of the Volyn oblast between the Cabinet of Ministers and the Volyn Oblast Council. This marks the start of the program "Strong Community - Strong State."

"The government will sign such agreements with all oblasts councils during the first quarter of 2010. This will coordinate the strategic development of each oblast and will ensure financing," Yulia Tymoshenko said during a working visit to the Volyn oblast.

The document clearly outlines levels of financing for joint activities. "This agreement isn’t just an organizational documents, it’s a clear financial document," Yulia Tymoshenko underscored.

The documents establishes the figure of 2.257 billion hryvnias over a period of five years to be used to finance joint activities.

According to current estimates, the government will work with the Volyn oblast to implement more than 50 investment projects that have already been planned. According to her, the economic effect of such investments is expected to exceed 1 billion hryvnias. "And this is only what’s related to investment areas," she added.

Published in Inform issue #136
See the full issue here.

Once again, the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) has had to take legal action to close loop holes that could result in election fraud. The bloc has filed a suit at Kyiv’s Administrative Court of Appeals against the Central Election Commission (CEC) rule that allows home voting without documentary proof of a voter’s state of health.

At its sitting on 4 January, the CEC introduced amendments to its explanations on the composition of specified lists, according to which home voters do not need to possess any documents confirming their immobility.

During the fraud-marred presidential election of 2004, home voting was cited as one of ploys to rig the vote in favour of Viktor Yanukovych.

The unrepentant, twice convicted leader of the Party of Regions has never recognised the massive electoral fraud, which was the catalyst for the non-violent street protests of the Orange Revolution.

"Ukrainians well remember 2004 when home-voting became a major trick to rig the vote by Yanukovych. The puppet CEC then passed similar decisions to allow home-voting," said Prime Minister and Presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko.

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Deputy Head of the Verkhovna Rada Mykola Tomenko believes that if Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko wins the presidential elections she has a greater chance of creating a stable coalition in parliament and avoiding early elections to the Verkhovna Rada.

In his opinion, if Party of Regions leader Viktor Yanukovych loses the elections, the faction may actually break up - about 40 deputies will leave and create a new parliamentary group.

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Published in Inform issue #135
See the full issue here.

2010 got off to a good start with news that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed to rework its loan agreement with Ukraine, freeing up $2 billion from the country’s central bank
reserves to meet forthcoming payment obligations.

The agreement, which lowers Ukraine’s minimum international reserve requirement, will enable the government to apply to the National Bank of Ukraine to allocate $2 billion from its $27.3 billion reserve to the government’s coffers.

“This important step will enable the Ukrainian authorities to use existing resources to make external payments due – including gas payments – within the framework of Ukraine’s programme with the Fund. It does not involve any new disbursement by the IMF,” said Max Alier, IMF Resident Representative for Ukraine.

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