KIEV — Ukraine's united opposition has presented a reform program ahead of fall parliamentary elections as it searches for a strategy with leader Yulia Tymoshenko in jail.
With the former prime minister serving a seven-year term, her party has joined forces with the second-largest opposition group, which is headed by millionaire banker and former parliament Speaker Arseniy Yatsenyuk.
The two pro-Western parties vowed to raise wages for government employees, fight corruption, and reform the law enforcement and judicial systems. They also promised to free Tymoshenko and her jailed allies, whose imprisonment has been condemned as politically motivated by the West.
Tymoshenko denies the abuse-of-office and corruption charges and claims that her longtime enemy, President Viktor Yanukovych, threw her and her aides in jail to bar them from the October elections.
"Our goal isn't simply to defeat those who are torturing Ukraine," Oleksandr Turchynov, Tymoshenko's top aide, said at a conference Monday. "Our goal is to bring Ukrainian politics to a new level."
"For us, the top priority … is renewing democracy in Ukraine and giving parliament the status of a truly representative body," Yatsenyuk said.
Since narrowly defeating Tymoshenko two years ago, Yanukovych has weakened parliament and boosted his powers. He has curbed anti-government protests, sent security forces to investigate civil society groups and sought to limit press freedoms. He is facing unprecedented Western pressure over Tymoshenko's jailing.
An April poll conducted by the Kiev-based Razumkov Center showed that the Tymoshenko-Yatsenyuk alliance had about 20 percent support, slightly more than Yanukovych's party, with 17 percent. The poll among 2,008 respondents had a margin of error of 2.3 percentage points.
But experts say the alliance is still shaky and could disintegrate in the coming months. Its success in the vote not only depends on members' ability to genuinely set aside ambitions and work together, but also on how fair and democratic the elections will be.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
