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Ukraine Parliament Moves Swiftly to Dismantle President’s Government Ukraine Rushes To Shift Power And Mend Rifts
(about 4 hours later)
KIEV, Ukraine — A day after President Viktor F. Yanukovych fled the Ukrainian capital and was removed from power by a unanimous vote in Parliament, lawmakers moved swiftly on Sunday to dismantle the remaining vestiges of his government by firing top cabinet members, including the foreign minister. KIEV, Ukraine — Ukrainian lawmakers moved swiftly on Sunday to assert control over the government, racing to restore calm after a week of upheaval and bloodshed that ended in President Viktor F. Yanukovych’s flight and ouster on Saturday, and in sudden fears that the country might fall into civil war.
With Parliament, led by the speaker, Oleksandr V. Turchynov, firmly in control of the federal government — if not yet the country as a whole — lawmakers began an emergency session on Sunday by adopting a law restoring state ownership of Mr. Yanukovych’s opulent presidential palace, which he had privatized. But on Sunday, a series of bureaucratic events — a session of Parliament, and the continued running of government institutions — seemed to pull the country back from the brink. As Parliament acted, even Mr. Yanukovych’s party denounced him for the deadly crackdown on protesters. And the military vowed to support the new government rather than rallying to the ousted president’s side.
Parliament voted to grant Mr. Turchynov authority to carry out the duties of the president of Ukraine, adding to his authority to lead the government that lawmakers had approved on Saturday. In its emergency session on Sunday, the Parliament granted expanded powers to its new speaker, Oleksandr V. Turchynov, who now has the authority to carry out the duties of the president of Ukraine as well.
Beyond that, Parliament did not take any further action to appoint interim leaders, but speculation about an immediate major role for the freed former prime minister, Yulia V. Tymoshenko, was squashed on Saturday afternoon when she issued a statement asking not to be considered for the post again. During his first formal address to the nation, in a recorded video that was broadcast on Sunday evening, Mr. Turchynov sought to soothe any remaining fear of the police and security services after clashes in Kiev last week left 82 people dead — the worst violence in Ukraine since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
“The information that I was proposed for the position of prime minister of Ukraine came as a surprise to me,” Ms. Tymoshenko said in a statement. “Nobody consulted or discussed this question with me. Thank you for the respect but I request that you not consider my candidacy for the post of the head of the government.” “The law enforcement structures are no longer threatening the life, health and security of the citizens of Ukraine,” he said, wearing a dark blazer and black turtleneck and standing next to a Ukrainian flag outside the Parliament building.
Ms. Tymoshenko’s spokeswoman, Nataya Lysova, said that she had made no statement yet about running for president, and that it was premature to discuss a potential candidacy. Ms. Tymoshenko left Kiev on Sunday afternoon to visit her elderly mother in Dnepropetrovsk, in eastern Ukraine. Mr. Turchynov, a veteran lawmaker who served previously as acting prime minister and as head of the security service, noted that Parliament had appointed an acting interior minister, who is in charge of the police, and had designated lawmakers to oversee the general prosecutor’s office, the Defense Ministry and the security service.
Depending on her health, Ms. Tymoshenko, who has complained of chronic back problems since she was jailed in 2011, may run for president in elections now scheduled for May 25, and many of her supporters are eager to build a campaign. In a sign of her still formidable political influence, Ms. Tymoshenko spoke by telephone on Sunday with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, as well as with Stefan Fule, a top European Union official, and with Senators John McCain, Republican of Arizona, Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, and Christopher S. Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut. Ms. Tymoshenko also met with ambassadors from the United States and European Union countries. There were still some signs of unease on Sunday. The whereabouts of Mr. Yanukovych, who insisted in a statement on Saturday that he was still president, remained unknown. In several cities in eastern Ukraine, including Donetsk, which is Mr. Yanukovych’s hometown, and Kharkiv, pro-Russian demonstrators took to the streets to denounce the developments in Kiev.
Critics, including a small crowd of demonstrators gathered outside the Parliament, said Ms. Tymoshenko should bow out, making way for a new generation of leaders. The Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, continued to insist that Ukrainian opposition leaders had “seized power” illegally, and the Kremlin recalled its ambassador to Kiev, citing chaos. Mr. Lavrov spoke by telephone with Secretary of State John Kerry, continuing a high-level dialogue on Ukraine, though Mr. Kerry voiced support for the Parliament’s actions.
Ms. Tymoshenko, long Mr. Yanukovych’s political rival, was released on Saturday from a prison hospital in Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine and quickly made her way here to Kiev, the capital, where she appeared briefly in a wheelchair in Independence Square. Ms. Tymoshenko was jailed by Mr. Yanukovych after losing the presidential election in 2010. Many in Ukraine and the West believe that her conviction was politically motivated. But in a broader sense, there was still an easing of fears that a deepening schism could fracture Ukraine between the Russian-leaning east and south and the pro-European West.
Andriy Shevchenko, a member of Parliament and the leader of Ms. Tymoshenko’s Fatherland Party, said that she would ultimately decide what role she envisioned for herself, based on her health. “It really depends on whether she wants to run or not,” Mr. Shevchenko said in an interview. “I think she has enough strength to be active in politics.” First, Mr. Yanukovych’s Party of Regions even turned against him, issuing a strongly worded statement that said he was responsible for the deaths last week and accusing him of betraying the country.
In Kiev, Ms. Tymoshenko received an enthusiastic but not overly exuberant reception from the crowd in Independence Square. The response demonstrated her continued popularity and status as a symbol of opposition to Mr. Yanukovych but also underscored the apprehension that many Ukranians feel toward politicians deeply connected to a government with a long history of corruption and mismanagement. “The country finds itself deceived and robbed, but even this is nothing in comparison with the grief that dozens of Ukrainian families, who have lost their relatives, are feeling,” the party wrote in a statement on its website. “Ukraine has been betrayed. Viktor Yanukovych and his team are responsible for this.”
Mr. Yanukovych, meanwhile, whose whereabouts remained unknown, appeared to be losing the support of even his former allies. On Sunday, Mr. Yanukovich’s Party of Regions, which days ago enjoyed a majority in Parliament, released a statement blaming him for the recent violence. Further assurance that stability had been re-established came from the military. A statement posted on the Defense Ministry web site on Saturday, after Mr. Yanukovych’s departure, and attributed to the ministry and the military reaffirmed commitment to the Constitution and expressed sorrow over the deaths in Kiev last week.
In the statement, the party said it strongly condemned what it called “criminal decrees,” which resulted in “human casualties, an empty treasury, huge debts and shame in the eyes of the Ukrainian people and the whole world.” “Please be assured that the armed forces of Ukraine cannot and will not be involved in any political conflict,” the statement said.
“All attempts to convince the president to act differently were ignored,” the statement said. “The party was virtually the hostage of one corrupt family.” In a separate statement, the military chief of staff, Yuriy Ilyin, who had just recently been appointed by Mr. Yanukovych, said, “As an officer I see no other way than to serve the Ukrainian people honestly and assure that I have not and won’t give any criminal orders.”
While Parliament has dismissed a number of senior officials, the defense minister, Pavlo Lebedev told Ukraine’s Channel 24 that he intended to remain in his post, and the military issued statements that seemed to offer assurance that no steps would be taken to interfere with the provisional government. Mr. Turchynov said in his address to the nation that he expected Parliament to name an acting prime minister and fill out the remainder of a unity government by Tuesday. Former Prime Minister Yulia V. Tymoshenko, who was jailed by Mr. Yanukovych after losing the 2010 presidential election and was freed on Saturday, issued a statement saying she did not want to be considered for the premier’s post. Still, it left open the possibility that she will run for president.
A statement posted on the Defense Ministry website on Saturday, after Mr. Yanukovych’s departure, and attributed to the ministry and the military, reaffirmed the military’s commitment to the Constitution and expressed sorrow over the deaths in Kiev last week. The Parliament began its emergency Sunday session by adopting a law restoring state ownership of Mr. Yanukovych’s opulent presidential palace, which he had privatized. After the residence, which is in a national park, was abandoned and then opened to the Ukrainian public, visitors reacted with fury and dismay at the astonishing display of wealth and excess, including separate collections of modern and antique cars and a private zoo.
“Please be assured that the Armed Forces of Ukraine cannot and will not be involved in any political conflict,” the statement said. The vote to reclaim the palace was 323 to 0, with at least 106 lawmakers absent, most of them from the Party of Regions. One of the party’s leaders, Volodymyr Rybak, who was ousted from the speaker’s post in a similarly lopsided vote on Saturday, issued a statement on Sunday saying he intended to return to the Parliament. Other officials seemed to have fled for good.
In a separate statement, the military chief of staff, Yuriy Ilyin, who was just recently appointed by Mr. Yanukovych, said, “As an officer I see no other way than to serve the Ukrainian people honestly and assure that I have not and won’t give any criminal orders.” Arsen Avakov, who was installed by Parliament on Saturday as acting interior minister, told reporters on Sunday that an investigation had been opened into 30 or more officials who may have been responsible for the violence last week in Kiev.
It is not yet clear whether Ukrainians in the southern and eastern regions of the country, which host the bulk of the country’s industrial infrastructure as well as the heaviest concentration of pro-Russian sentiment, would resist the change of government in Kiev. In several cities, including Donetsk and Kharkiv, pro-Russian demonstrators took to the streets on Sunday, and there have been scattered reports of clashes between pro-Russian Ukrainians and supporters of the protests in Kiev. Throughout central Kiev on Sunday, people continued to lay flowers and place candles at memorials to the dead demonstrators. Outside the Cabinet of Ministers building, parents had their small children pose for photographs with victorious antigovernment fighters who are still armed with clubs and wearing helmets, but now stand guard over the government headquarters. Many also had flowers attached to their metal shields.
Several lawmakers expressed rising alarm over Ukraine’s perilous economic situation. The Russian government in December had come to Mr. Yanukovych’s rescue with a $15 billion bailout and an offer of cheaper prices on natural gas. Mr. Avakov also said border guards on Saturday had prevented the departure of a plane in eastern Ukraine with Mr. Yanukovych aboard, making it most likely that he was still in the country.
A $2 billion installment of that aid was canceled as part of a deal reached on Friday between Mr. Yanukovych and opposition leaders. Western officials have said they hope to offer assistance, but it is unclear how quickly that help might arrive. In a series of votes on Sunday, the Parliament dismissed the foreign minister, Leonid Kozhara; the education minister, Dmytro Tabachnyk; and the health minister, Raisa Bohatyriova.
Among the reasons Mr. Yanukovych turned away from signing political and trade accords with Europe in November was his unwillingness to carry out painful austerity measures and other reforms that had been demanded by the International Monetary Fund in exchange for a large assistance package. Several lawmakers said recreating the government was particularly urgent given Ukraine’s perilous economic situation. Russia in December had come to Mr. Yanukovych’s rescue with a $15 billion bailout and an offer of cheaper prices on natural gas.
On Sunday, the Fund’s managing director, Christine Lagarde, said that there was concern about the political instability in Ukraine and that the fund could only provide assistance in response to a formal request. A $2 billion installment of that aid was canceled as part of a deal reached on Friday between Mr. Yanukovych and opposition leaders, and while Western officials have said they hope to offer assistance, it was unclear how quickly that help might arrive.
Speaking at the end of a meeting of the Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Sydney, Australia, Ms. Lagarde said, “If the Ukrainian authorities were to ask for I.M.F. support, whether it is policy advice, whether it is financial support together with economic reform discussions, we would be ready to do that.” Among the reasons Mr. Yanukovych turned away from signing political and trade accords with Europe in November was his unwillingness to carry out painful austerity measures and other reforms that y the International Monetary Fund had demanded in exchange for a large assistance package.
But, she said, “We need to have somebody to talk to because any discussion takes two.” On Sunday, the fund’s managing director, Christine Lagarde, said that there was concern about the political instability in Ukraine and that the fund could provide assistance only in response to a formal request. But she added that an economic program to help Ukraine had to be “owned by the authorities, by the people, because at the end of the day it will be the future of the Ukrainian economy.”
Ms. Lagarde added that an economic program to help Ukraine had to be “owned by the authorities, by the people, because at the end of the day it will be the future of the Ukrainian economy.” For the moment, though, Mr. Turchynov, the new interim leader, said the priority was to restore a sense of normalcy and unity.
The I.M.F. has extended help to Ukraine in the past, but has expressed reluctance to do so again because the Ukrainian government repeatedly failed to carry out agreed-upon reforms. “Our first task today is to stop confrontation, renew governance, management and legal order in the country,” he said, adding, “We have to rebuke any displays of separatism and threats to the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
The reassertion of state ownership over the presidential palace on Sunday was a highly symbolic action by Parliament to show that lawmakers shared the public’s rage against Mr. Yanukovych, who appeared briefly on television on Saturday and insisted that he was still the duly elected president.
After the residence, which is in a national park, was abandoned by Mr. Yanukovych and then opened to the Ukrainian public, visitors reacted with outrage and dismay at the astonishing display of wealth and excess, including separate collections of modern and antique cars and a private zoo.
The vote to reclaim the palace was 323 to 0, with at least 106 lawmakers absent, most of them members of Mr. Yanukovych’s Party of Regions, which had controlled Parliament until its leaders fled on Saturday and then were dismissed from their posts in similarly lopsided votes.
In a series of votes on Sunday, the Parliament dismissed the foreign minister, Leonid Kozhara; the education minister, Dmytro Tabachnyk, and the health minister, Raisa Bogatyrova.
Parliament, led by Speaker Turchynov, has been moving swiftly to rebuild the government. Arsen Avakov, who was installed by Parliament on Saturday as interior minister, told reporters on Sunday that an investigation had been opened into 30 or more officials who may have been responsible for the violence last week in which more than 70 people were killed on the streets of Kiev. Throughout central Kiev on Sunday people continued to lay flowers and place candles at memorials to the dead demonstrators.
Mr. Avakov also said that border guards on Saturday had prevented the departure of a plane in eastern Ukraine with Mr. Yanukovych aboard.
During her time in government, Ms. Tymoshenko had also maintained a working relationship with Russia, which many Ukrainians blame for pressing Mr. Yanukovych into backing away from sweeping political and free trade agreements with the European Union, which first set off Ukraine’s civil unrest in November.
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia had once said that Ms. Tymoshenko was welcome to travel to Russia from prison for medical treatment. Mr. Shevchenko, of the Fatherland Party, said that Ms. Tymoshenko had strongly advocated Ukraine’s integration with Europe and would sign the accords that Mr. Yanukovych scuttled. “I know if Yulia goes back to the government or becomes president, she will definitely be pro-Western,” he said.
Mr. Putin spoke with Ms. Merkel by telephone on Sunday about the situation in Ukraine. According to a statement on the chancellor’s website, both leaders agreed that Ukraine’s “territorial integrity must be respected.” Also on Sunday, Secretary of State John Kerry spoke with his Russian counterpart, Sergey V. Lavrov, and urged Russia to work with the United States and Europe to help Ukraine through the current crisis, according to a senior State Department official.
Mr. Kerry said that the actions of Ukraine’s Parliament to set up an interim government “offer the best and most promising path forward to restore peace and stability to Ukraine quickly, and to address Ukraine’s pressing financial challenges,” the official said.
Although there has been some concern in Kiev about the possibility of Russian military action in response to the events of recent days, there was no indication from the Russian government that it had any intention of intervening.
Susan E. Rice, President Obama’s national security adviser, said Sunday that the United States was prepared to work with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, as well as Russia, to shore up Ukraine’s nascent government. Speaking on the NBC News program “Meet the Press,” Ms. Rice said that the United States hoped to see constitutional change and democratic elections in Ukraine “in very short order,” and she added that it “would be a grave mistake” for Russia to interfere militarily.
“It’s not in the interests of Ukraine or of Russia or of Europe or of the United States to see the country split,” she said. “It’s in nobody’s interest to see violence return.”