Ukrainian prime minister announces resignation

[n2doc]

Source: AP

KIEV, UKRAINE - Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has announced his resignation following turmoil in government.

Yatsenyuk made the announcement from the dais of the parliament after two parties said they would pull out of the governing coalition. "I am announcing my resignation in connect with the collapse of the coalition," Yatsenyuk said.

He said the parliament could no longer do its work and pass necessary laws.

The nationalist Svoboda party and the UDAR movement led by former boxer Vladimir Klitscho pulled out of the group of legislators that took over after former President Viktor Yanukovich was ousted by protesters seeking closer ties with the European Union.

Read more: http://www.abc15.com/news/national/ukrainian-prime-minister-announces-resignation

[geek tragedy]

1. When are next elections? nt

[onehandle]

2. When will Stalin... I mean Putin, resign? nt

[MattSh]

4. Pull your head out of the TV

Putin, with an 80% plus approval rating, will not be resigning any time soon. Sorry to burst your bubble.

?

[onehandle]

6. Soviet polls are much more reliable than they used to be.

80% is the new 100%.

All kidding aside, I am not surprised in the least that Putin is 'popular' in Russia.

[LanternWaste]

9. "Soviets make the best watches in the world-- they're faster than everyone else's..."

In the fifties, there was a subversive bit of wit used by Leningrad factory workers... "Soviets make the best watches in the world-- they're faster than everyone else's..."

One could imagine that with Moscow's ever tighter grip on the country's media, his polls are the best in the world too.

[geek tragedy]

7. Dictators who control the media and murder their

critics are not likely to resign, no.

Of course, the rest of the planet hates the fascist thug, because they are not brainwashed by Russian state media and rightwing Russian nationalism. Look at the polling BEFORE Putin's drunken thugs shot down MH17.

[IronLionZion]

17. ya, they love him in Vietnam, China, Bangladesh

[cprise]

23. That's a great cartoon, BTW

Likewise in Hollywood, there are no good Russians unless they are trying to "escape" Russia. The propaganda is laid on even thicker today than it was in the Soviet era.

[cprise]

18. Its too bad Yats needed NAZIS to stay afloat

Of course, this leads the 'Russians are always the same' red-baiters to froth about Putin.

[SaltyBro]

3. Yats was "our guy"

This really stinks.

[dipsydoodle]

8. Oh - you noticed.

.

[Purveyor]

10. This should put our neocons into 'scurry' mode, indeed. eom

[cprise]

19. The facade of a responsible coalition keeping the far-Right in check

... that's gone.

There isn't even any Left party to speak of in this mess. How does that even happen? What were those American "NGOs" up to besides "democracy building" in an already democratic country?

[geek tragedy]

21. Not so fast. New elections will mean

a parliament much less friendly to Moscow than this one.

[cprise]

24. IOW, far-Right nationalist. Gosh, who saw that coming? n/t

[pampango]

45. The far-right nationalists did not do well in the recent presidential election. We will see

if they do any better in a future parliamentary election. In the rest of Europe Putin is quite popular with the far right.

[joshcryer]

46. This was strategic, it decapitates Party of Regions and the Communists.

It was a brilliant move.

[yurbud]

35. he was lucky he didn't go out the way of Diem

[yurbud]

36. if you're our puppet, you don't get a bad job evaluation or a gold watch

you get your severance pay in lead.

[jakeXT]

5. So they are going to continue until Nov?

The premier’s resignation automatically means the resignation of the entire government. But the cabinet members will continue fulfilling their duties until a new coalition is formed in the Rada.
Earlier Thursday, the parliament did not support the government’s bill on 2014 budget sequestration, as well as a draft law on reforming the country’s gas transportation system.
Rada deputies said Thursday they believe that Yatsenyuk’s government will fulfill his duties at least until November.

http://en.itar-tass.com/world/742187

[yurbud]

37. in other words, they realized they were being ask to screw their country, and they said no.

[yurbud]

39. this is the problem with trying to give people just the "appearance" of democracy--they can take it

too seriously (at least as far as our financial elite are concerned).

In Iraq, Bush got a PM willing to push a Hydrocarbon Law that gave away 88% of their oil revenue to the transnational oil companies, but members of parliament refused to support it.

They knew the same thing Saddam did: if we don't de-nationalize our oil, the Americans MIGHT kill us, but if we do de-nationalize our oil and give it away to foreigners, our own people WILL kill us (and rightly so).

Whether dictator or elected, there are somethings leaders know their people won't let them get away with, but our financial elite seems to think it's just a matter of getting the right puppet in power to do the impossible.

[joshcryer]

47. 30 days with no coalition = Parliament disbanded.

30 days after that new elections. So late Oct.

[jakeXT]

49. And they can't pay salaries to the military from August 1... that'll be interesting

The protracted hostilities have used up the financial resources set aside for the conduct of the anti-terrorist operation (ATO), thus undermining salary payouts to the Ukrainian military as early as from August 1, Ukrainian Finance Minister Oleksandr Shlapak said on July 24.

http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/ukrainian-government-has-no-cash-for-army-salaries-from-after-august-1-357769.html

[joshcryer]

53. Yep, he used parliament failing to pass funding bills as an excuse.

So now the blame for the military not getting paid will fall on the Party of Regions and the Communists. Which is all well and good since the military is out there fighting in regions the Party of Regions and Communists have the most vote. It'll just increase Fatherland's popularity.

Of course, the honest fact is that no one wanted to vote on austerity bills and army funding bills before the elections, so it's a two-fer; they do nothing, then resign, the opposition gets the blame.

I really hate parliamentarian ministerial politics. Way too crony if you ask me.

[Comrade Grumpy]

11. Yats, we hardly knew ye.

[dixiegrrrrl]

12. rec'ing this post and thread

for the serious and thoughtful comments so far.
How refreshing.

[Demeter]

13. Way to build a nation!

[bemildred]

14. The Great Helmsman steps down for a well-earned rest from his too-little appreciated labors.

[geek tragedy]

15. Actually, he's stuck on the job. Everyone else

can go on vacation.

[bemildred]

16. Nah, it looks like he is leaving:

Parliament speaker Oleksandr Turchynov said it was up to Udar and Svoboda to propose a candidate for temporary prime minister to lead the government until early parliamentary elections can be held.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11298784

[geek tragedy]

20. Looks like a way to force new elections which

will presumably lead to membership more to their liking.

[bemildred]

22. I haven't really got into Ukrainian politics, so I don't know what to expect.

But considering the problems they face, and his lack of experience, I thought he did well to make it this far. "Interim" and "technorat" PMs tend to have short times in office, everybody wants a turn, maybe that is what is going on here. Do you know anything about it?

[geek tragedy]

25. Not more than could be gathered by a quick perusal

of sources. Seems like this was orchestrated with the president welcoming instead of dismayed. New elections will result in a more EU-centric lot, with pressure in separatists to allow voting or else they're disenfranchising the east.

[bemildred]

27. I always like elections.

In this case I would say they are essential.

Things in the East have gotten kind of Alice-in-Wonderlandy and I've given up trying to forsee events. I expect a lot would depend on the outcome of those elections.

[geek tragedy]

28. Would be nice for those in the east to be

given a chance to speak for themselves, rather than living under edicts from Kiev or Moscow.

[davidpdx]

55. It would be nice if they were allowed to vote this time

I'm sure it will be the same deal where the ballot boxes will be used as garbage receptacles instead of to promote the election of a government. Then they (and their DU lackeys) can turn around and scream "fascist, cookies, Nazi's, etc" and claim the government is illegitimate.

[joshcryer]

48. This is by design.

The Party of Regions and Communists will now be tasked with forming a new coalition. Since it is impossible for them to do this, there will be new elections in 60 days. (30 days with no coalition, 30 days to announce new elections.)

Party of Regions and Communists just got their heads cut off for not working with the parliament (one reason the military isn't getting paid is that they're playing as obstructionists).

[HooptieWagon]

52. Communist Party was banned.

As fascists always do when they take power.

[joshcryer]

54. No it wasn't. It was disbanded.

They're trying to ban it but the courts will have to hear it and if the courts want to express any illusions of being non-corrupt the party will not be banned. The argument is that because some of the party members supported the separatists the party should be banned as a whole. That is illogical on the face of it.

[joeybee12]

26. Not many responses so far, but still getting the Ukranians are Nazis BS

and Putin is wonderful garbage...how much does The Kremlin pay some people?

[Purveyor]

29. Not enough, trust me. The Saudis pay much better...

[joeybee12]

30. Putin certainly is a job creator...

I'm sure you don't agree with me...but I think some of the stuff that gets posted about this mess is ludicrous.

[yurbud]

33. Putin is no saint, but our government supports far worse thugs

how he is reacting to this plane crash and his domestic policies are of no consequence to our leaders except as a stick to beat him with to make him obey international bankers and Wall Street or get out of office.

[joeybee12]

34. I don't agree...

Not at all...we can be awful, but Putin is virulent scum.

[yurbud]

61. not we, the leaders our government supports: like the guy in Uzbekistan who boils opponents alive

the Saudis

the various military dictatorships and oligarchs we support in Latin America and the Arab World.

Our government doesn't care how democratic anyone is, as long as they do as they are told by our corporations and banks.

[geek tragedy]

38. High grade Putin Apologism.

"We should just shut up about him being a fascist dictator who invades his neighbors and aided and abetted the shooting down of a passenger jet and helping those responsible escape justice because he is really courageously standing up to the oligarchy by creating his own oligarchy."

"International bankers" is a cute code phrase.

Claiming that criticism of his odious and destabilizing policies is a conspiracy to protect "international bankers" is beyond the pale.

[cprise]

44. It really IS about two oligarchies at odds

One is nationalist, the other globalist. But Obama is correct to state that Russia today is merely a regional power. Unfortunately, such a thing is inimical to the interests of <i>international bankers</i> who, oddly, support the violent overthrow of democratically elected leaders from Venezuela to Honduras to Ukraine.

International capital has become a destructive force that seeks to own every resource on the planet. Its really odd how you ignore the statistics and the analyses of virtually every progressive intellectual that gets posted on DU.

[JackRiddler]

40. Ukrainians are not Nazis.

The Kiev government under Yatsenyuk included an extreme right party, and organized fascists (including from abroad) as militias to fight the anti-Kiev party in the east.

This distinction is not so hard to understand. Unless one doesn't want to understand.

[joeybee12]

41. I understand totally..and do you understand the far right

was part of the previous government as well? This was not soemthing new as all the Putin lovers seem to want people to believe...i sewr to fuck, we're still fighitng the cold war, and a large portion of Du is on the USSR side, FFS

[JackRiddler]

43. "We" are not fighting the cold war.

You might be, and some very important people think so.

Can't say I was on board with the famous original cold war.

You're presenting another false and extreme binary. To have opposed it was not to be on the side of the USSR. In fact, hardliners on both sides benefited from each other. It was a symbiosis of the worst ruling elements in both countries to justify their respective authoritarianisms and imperialisms. Not so far from what's happening today.

[countryjake]

31. K&R!

[yurbud]

32. a lot of neocons in DC must be crapping their adult diapers. What if a new gov't makes peace with

the rebels and says they are equally open to trade with EU AND Russia?

That would just ruin everything.

[joshcryer]

50. Russia won't allow trade with EU.

EU has agricultural and financial transaction standards Russia is remiss to accept.

[JackRiddler]

56. Does Russia want trade with the EU?

This is nonsensical. The EU is doing plenty of trade with Russia and these standards haven't been an obstacle.

[joshcryer]

57. Of course not, Russia has the upper hand.

Why would Russia increase its standards to that of EU when it has a lot of bargaining power? Why would the EU request that Russia raise its standards when, again, Russia has the bargaining power?

It was part of the negotiations with Ukraine simply because Ukraine is still developing, doesn't have the upper hand, and fixing the agricultural issues and fixing the financial sector issues (mass oligarch corruption) benefits the Ukraine-EU relationship in the long run.

Would you be against raising agricultural standards (particularly as it concerns environmental issues) and having EU oversight over financial transactions? Because Russia is against that. If Russia wasn't they wouldn't have gone around the EU agreement and they would've happily signed a trilateral agreement with Ukraine.

[yurbud]

58. could you explain that?

[joshcryer]

59. Sure.

The biggest problem for Russia is that the EU trade deal had more than just "we'll buy and sell you stuff" it required Ukraine to start standardizing on a whole host of trade issues.

* Revamping their agriculture systems to meet EU standards (whoops, the oligarchs don't like that one, can't have the agriculture sector scrutinized and improved).
* Setting up transaction services in compliance with EU standards (whoops, the oligarchs don't like that one, can't have transactions monitored and audited).
* Requiring that Ukraine follow EU intellectual property laws (whoops, the oligarchs can't allow intellectual property laws to be respected).

The DCFTA put a wrench into Russia's Eurasia agenda, if they then went to Ukraine, after it passed, and said, "Hey, we'll give you a several billion dollar loan if you do a trade deal with us" then Ukraine would say "well, we'll do it, but it has to meet the constraints of the DCFTA, so we can't have unsanitary agriculture, if we trade it has to be on a transaction service compliant with EU standards, etc." This is why Putin made the agreement with Yanukovych in exchange for no agreement whatsoever with the EU. A trilateral agreement would've been "EU gets agricultural goods, financial sector investments, Russia gets gas transport, pipe and military exports." Wow, everyone gets a good deal! But Russia had other aspirations.

You can read the DCFTA details here: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2013/april/tradoc_150981.pdf

[Uncle Joe]

42. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, n2doc.

[RKP5637]

51. ...