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On 9 March, the Ukrainian parliament amended its regulations concerning the formation of coalitions. The amendment allows individual deputies from groups outside the coalition, as well as deputies not belonging to any groups, to join the coalition. This solution will make it possible in the coming days to create a majority coalition and a new government that will be clearly controlled by the Party of Regions. more »
During President Viktor Yanukovych’s visit to Moscow on 5 March, he announced that laws "protecting the rights of the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine" would be adopted soon. Some politicians and media interpreted this as meaning that Russian would be recognised as an equal state language. However, on 9 March, Yanukovych stated that Ukrainian would remain the sole state language, and the rights of the Russian-speaking population would be assured by implementing the provisions of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, which Ukraine ratified in 2005. more »
Yanukovych's objective is to resume the so-called multi-vector policy (which is in fact a bidirectional policy), which Ukraine pursued under Leonid Kuchma, and which consists in balancing the influences of Russia and the West and profiting from both. more »
Viktor Yanukovych was sworn in as president on 25 February. His first decision was to restore the Presidential Administration (replacing the previous Secretariat) and appoint its senior staff members. Serhiy Lovochkin, representing the gas lobby in the Party of the Regions, was appointed head of the Administration, and Iryna Akimova, a representative of the competing metallurgical lobby, was nominated as his first deputy. This suggests that the president will adopt a policy of balancing various factions within his inner circle. more »
The introduction of essential reforms requires the presence of a strong decision-making body, and will be unrealistic until the completion of the process of changing the central authorities. more »
