Verkhovnaya Rada is in stupor. The blocking by opposition of the parliament’s working has resulted in the situation where everything is ready for disintegration of the orange coalition and making the new one – with participation of Regions Party of Yanukovich and presidential Nasha Ukraina (Our Ukraine). Only the both factions do not know how they are supposed to explain such an alliance to their voters.   

According to the Constitution, the coalition would be possible to form in case the majority in NUNS decides to give up Yulia Timoshenko. At the moment, though, too many members of the faction consider the ally with “Donetsk people” to be perfidy. 

However, it has become known that a number of deputies in the presidential faction has started signature raising to make Timoshenko resign. Well, in that point no contradiction would appear between Yushchenko’s and Yanukovich’s supporters, as it’s Timoshenko who started conflict with Gazprom causing Russian gas supplies to be reduced. Every new message of curtailment contributes to Timoshenko’s weakening.   

What is significant, the voters would understand the Timoshnko’s adversaries. If the plants got stopped, people would perceive the government’s dissolution without indignation.  

“The new Balog’s (chair of the presidential secretariat – Y.V) team and the ‘regionals’, having support from Gazprom, wish to remove Timoshenko from the Prime Minister’s position, but anyway they will fail to do it” cheers up Alexander Gudyma, the MP belonging to Timoshenko’s bloc. Yulia Vladimirovna herself doesn’t seem to be so confident. Just after first statements by Gazprom about reduction of gas supplies, she promptly came back to work from a sick-leave and gave a press conference where she stated her bloc to be ready to collaborate with Regions Party so that to change the Constitution and reelect the new president and parliament. In other words, she would like to cooperate so that to overthrow Yushchenko.

The journalists passed Timoshenko’s suggestions to the ‘regionals’ in the city of Severodonetsk in Lugansky region where the convention of the opposition was being held. There Yanukovich’s supporters confirmed such an alliance to be possible. Though, the ‘regionals’ seem to consider such agreement with Timoshenko as a fallback. They would prefer to make similar alliance with Yushchenko. Their reason is that it would be easier for Yanukovich to defeat Yushchenko at the election. As for Yulia Timoshenko, she is a charismatic leader and a bit ponderous Yanukovich doesn’t seem to be able to defeat her at the election. 

Yanukovich’s comment about the possible alliance is rather elusive “We shall see. Undoubtedly, we all will be doing together in this process”.