Ukraine parliament dissolves Orange Revolution government

The Ukrainian parliament voted Wednesday to sack the government headed by Orange Revolution leader Yulia Tymoshenko, pushing the firebrand, pro-Western politician back into the opposition.

The vote came as recently inaugurated President Viktor Yanukovich shores up power. Long a bitter rival of Tymoshenko, the president was widely expected to marginalize the prime minister -- and move Ukraine closer to Moscow -- once he took office.

The pair battled fiercely for the prize of the presidency this winter, with each candidate appealing to half of the deeply divided country. In the end, Yanukovich, who drew heavy support from the Russian-speaking, industrialized regions in the south and east, edged out Tymoshenko, popular in the more nationalistic, European-leaning west, by less than 4 percentage points.

In parliament, 243 of the 450 lawmakers voted to dismiss Tymoshenko, blaming the Cabinet for the social and economic woes of recent months.

The global financial crisis hurt the country badly, denting the currency and constricting the economy by 15% last year.

The deputy head of Yanukovich’s Party of Regions blasted Tymoshenko for failing to act against troubles in the economy and public health, blaming her for population decline and for setting Ukrainian development back by a decade.

But Tymoshenko appeared ready to resume her longtime role as a daunting opposition leader.

Tymoshenko’s anger against Yanukovich flared as she vowed to hold the president accountable for every decision.

“Today this person, Yanukovich, presents a threat to independence, a threat to territorial integrity, to democracy and freedom of speech,” Tymoshenko told parliament.

“We will protect Ukraine from this new calamity.”

Yanukovich’s party now has 30 days to form a new parliamentary majority. If the effort should fail, the president would have to dissolve parliament and call snap elections.

megan.stack@latimes.com