Opposition Parties Unite For Ukrainian Election

April 23, 2012
 
Six opposition parties in Ukraine have announced that they will join forces for parliamentary elections in October in order to challenge President Viktor Yanukovych's grip on power.
 
Two of the six parties -- Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) and the Front of Changes -- are considered the most powerful opposition forces.
 
Batkivshchyna is led by jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko while the Front of Changes is led by former parliamentary speaker Arseniy Yatsenyuk.
 
Half of the Verkhovna Rada's 450 seats will go to politicians elected on party tickets.
 
The other half will be selected in individual races.
 
Yatsenyuk told journalists on April 23 that Tymoshenko's party will take the Front of Changes' votes in the proportional ballot.
 
He also said that the two parties will agree on individual candidates they will support.
 
Based on reporting by UNIAN and AP