Ukraine pro-West coalition agrees on cabinet post split

Leaders of Ukraine's pro-Western coalition on Thursday agreed on a division of cabinet posts, overcoming a key barrier to the quick formation of a new government in the former Soviet republic. A two-party alliance of the anti-corruption Block of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT), and the nationalist Our Ukraine National Self Defence (OUNSD), divided cabinet offices as they had promised, with the more influential posts, and more positions overall, going to the senior BYuT party. BYuT obtained 156 seats in the legislature and OUNSD 72 as a result of Ukraine's September 30 parliamentary elections, giving the political alliance a narrow 228-seat majority in the 450-member assembly. The coalition's nomination for the powerful prime minister's office, the most powerful job up for grabs, will go to Tymoshenko herself, according to a joint statement by the two parties. The next most influential position, parliament speaker, will go to a OUNSD nominee. The slate of candidates for ministerial portfolios was superficially slightly weighted in the junior OUNSD's favour with 12 top positions, while the senior BYuT received only 11. The lion's share of cabinet committees, as well as practically all ministries controlling the Ukrainian economy, went to BYuT. Key cabinet positions include Natural Resources, Economy, Energy, Coal mining, Industrial policy, Transport and Finance. Tymoshenko during the election campaign repeatedly argued she needed trusted subordinates in all government ministries involved in regulating big business in order to combat graft and corruption. In past years control of a ministry with influence over Ukrainian heavy industry has been hugely lucrative for the politician holding the job, according to Tymoshenko. OUNSD received portfolios more related to social services or external affairs, including the Interior, Foreign Relations, Culture, Defence, Science and Health. The division as formally presented was almost indistinguishable from cabinet splits promised by OUNSD and BYuT leadership during the campaign. Many observers and most Ukrainian media had discounted the promises, recalling the two parties' failure to decide on a cabinet split after three months of trying, in March 2006. The rapid announcement of candidates for the next cabinet cleared the way for a quick creation of the next Ukrainian government, as President Viktor Yushchenko, who must approve most cabinet nominees, has said he planned to cooperate with the coalition. The coalition's announced priority once parliament reopens is a raft of reform legislation aimed at integrating the country with Europe, and undermining the present control by industrial tycoons of most of the Ukrainian economy. Official results of the September election were announced last week, but a court ordered the formation of the next government delayed until it hears a claim of extensive vote fraud by one of the losing parties in the election. International monitors almost without exception pronounced the September 30 vote as free and fair. The Kiev appeals court, where the claim is being heard, is expected to throw out the suit after a pro-forma hearing. dpa sbk gma