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Friday, Sep 09, 2005

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International

Yushchenko sacks Government

Vladimir Radyuhin

My trust has been betrayed, says Ukraine President

MOSCOW: Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko dismissed the Cabinet of Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko on Thursday amid a snowballing political crisis that has hit the seven-month-old administration.

Citing infighting as the reason for the decision, Mr. Yushchenko appointed Governor of Dnepropetrovsk Region Yuriy Yekhanurov, a politically neutral figure, as Acting Prime Minister.

"We see the country is sliding back before our eyes," he said in a televised address to the nation. "All those processes we have launched are being rolled back. My friends, who stood by me in the hour of trial, have had vast powers, but betrayed my trust."

The crisis has been triggered by struggle over the re-carving of key industrial assets between two rival groups which helped Mr. Yushchenko come to power in January in the wake of the pro-Western "Orange revolution." One group is headed by the sacked Prime Minister, the other by National Security and Defence Council Secretary Petro Poroshenko, who resigned on Thursday as well over charges of corruption. The accusations of corruption among key allies of the President came from his chief of staff, Olexander Zinchenko, who quit five days ago, and Deputy Prime Minister Mykola Tomenko, who resigned on Thursday. The scandal is believed to have been orchestrated by the former Prime Minister, Timoshenko, who saw her influence being eroded by the Poroshenko group.

The crisis has erupted amid growing disillusionment with the "Orange revolution" leaders as prices are rising and the economy is slowing.

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