Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko declared Wednesday that he supported the establishment of a coalition government made up by Yulia Tymoshenko's bloc and the Our Ukraine Party-People's Self-Defense bloc.

 

Yushchenko said in a national television speech that he supported the two blocs forming the majority of the parliament, adding that all legal rights of opposing parties should be guaranteed to keep the government under supervision.

 

Ukraine's two major political parties, Yulia Tymoshenko's bloc and Our Ukraine Party-People's Self-Defense, have signed a draft deal on a coalition government Monday, under which the Tymoshenko party will nominate the candidates for the prime minister, the first vice prime minister and nine ministers, while Our Ukraine will nominate the candidates for the parliament speaker, two vice prime ministers and ten ministers.

 

According to the deal, the coalition government will try to gain Ukraine's official membership of NATO and the European Union, and strengthen its relationship with Russia and other neighboring countries.

 

In last month's legislative elections, Ukrainian Prime Minister Victor Yanukovych's Regions Party garnered 175 seats out of a total of 450, Tymoshenko's bloc collected 156, Our Ukraine 72, the Communists 27 and the Lytvin party 20.

 

The total seats by Tymoshenko's bloc and Our Ukraine surpassed the majority, which enabled them to establish a coalition government.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2007)