Ukrainian president accuses opponents of attempting a constitutional coup

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko accused opponents of attempting a constitutional coup after a key bloc pulled out of the governing coalition on Wednsday. Ukraine's government was on the verge of collapsing again after the bloc left the coalition. The rivalry between the two coalition parties' leaders President Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has regularly boiled over in recent years. More than half of the pro-Yushchenko faction ditched the coalition late Tuesday. They say Tymoshenko's party had betrayed the alliance by siding with the opposition Party of Regions. However it is unclear if the Cabinet will be sacked. A faction must walk out of the coalition in its entirety, which did not happen. Even if the Cabinet is fired it would continue working for up to 60 days.