The Ukrainian parliament on Tuesday voted to oust Prime Minister Yuri Yekhanurov’s government over last week’s gas deal with Russia which in effect doubled the price of gas to the country.And the context:
The importance of this “no confidence” vote is not just the political ramifications for Yushchenko and the other political actors on Ukraine’s stage, but that the parliament is specifically asserting its newfound powers in the face of a traditionally strong presidency. It’s the beginning of the shift from presidential to parliamentary democracy. That tug-o-war struggle is exemplified in the current crisis and will only deepen once a new parliament is elected that is further diametrically opposed to Yushchenko. However, this is necessary to secure governance that is more responsive to people and less corrupt than presidential systems tend to be.Read it here.
Hmmm..., spike in gasoline prices, the public is up in arms, charges of corruption, and a governmental shakeup. Good thing that something like that couldn't happen here..., ooops! And note, there have recently been similar protests in Iraq complete with sacking of the oil minister, and remember what gasoline lines did to poor Jimmah Carter. There seems to be a lesson here for politicians everywhere -- keep the price of gas down or pay the price politically.
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