KIEV, January 05, 19:05 /ITAR-TASS/. Ukrainian political opposition is holding a yet another action of protest on Kiev’s Independence Square (the Maidan) contrary to its previous assurances it was not planning any actions for this Sunday, as the Eastern Orthodox Christians are about to celebrate Christmas, which falls on January 7 in line with the Eastern Orthodox tradition.
Ukrainian mass media say several dozen thousand people are taking part. Many-thousands-strong actions of protest were held every Sunday on the Maidan in December, as the opposition was demanding a resumption of the process of Euro-integration, a resignation of the cabinet of ministers and punishment for the officials guilty of ordering the use of force against demonstrators.
Vitaly Klichko, the leader of UDAR party, who spoke at the action January 5, called on the fellow-countrymen “to organize an all-Ukraine strike.” “The authorities have made us stand up to fight for our rights and dignity and we won’t give up until we’re heeded,” he said.
Klichko believes that a complete change of people at the helm of state power should take place through an early presidential and parliamentary election. On the background of a profound political crisis “the regime is demonstrating total reluctance to listen to the people and it resorts to provocations, repressions and intimidation.”
“It also continues the anti-popular policy by economizing on the payment of social benefits and not paying the wage debts,” he said.
Arseny Yatsenyuk, the head of the parliamentary faction of Batkivshchina party told the Ukrainian media Saturday that all the three current leaders of the opposition - he himself, Klichko, and the leader of far-right ultranationalists Oleg Tyagnybok plan to run for presidency in March 2015 contrary to the wishes of opposition supporters to see a united candidate in the elections.
“The leaders of all the three opposition forces will take part in the first round of election, since a decision on it was taken back in May 2013,” Yatsenyuk said.
The three forces have signed an agreement under which a united candidate will represent the opposition in the second round, he said. “We’ve taken a clear-cut decision that he who gets the best result will also get the /consolidated/ support of all the opposition parties,” Yatsenyuk said.