New 'Orange' coalition grips power in Ukraine

A so-called “Orange” coalition has been formed in Ukraine and plans to announce candidates for Parliamentary Speaker and Prime Minister. The coliation is made up of supporters of Yulia Timoshenko and the Our Ukraine People's Self-Defence Bloc.

Yulia Timoshenko is considered one of the most likely candidates for Prime Minister.

228 deputies from the two parties have signed an agreement.

The nomination for Prime Minister will be sent to the President and then introduced to the Rada. After the Prime Minister is nominated – the government will be formed.

Under the coalition agreement between the two parties, the Yulia Timoshenko Bloc will support the Our Ukraine People's Self-Defence Bloc nominee, Arseny Yatsenyuk, for the post of Parliament Speaker.

Yatsenyuk is currently Ukrainian Foreign Minister.

Vyacheslav Kirilenko, the leader of the Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defence Bloc, said that the election of the Prime Minister and country's Speaker would be the next step after signing the agreement on forming a coalition.

“I would propose to the faction a nominee for the Parliament Speaker position supported by the President himself and would ask my faction to vote for the candidature of Arseny Yatsenyuk during the voting in Parliament,” he said.