Borys Tarasyuk: Yulia Tymoshenko leads a strong opposition

Rukh leader Borys Tarasyuk is confident that the united democratic opposition led by Yulia Tymoshenko will become a powerful force in the people’s battle for their rights and freedoms.

"Naturally, we will be a rather strong opposition, having the support of such a leader and a de jure majority in the Verkhovna Rada. I think the current government will have a hard time," Borys Tarasyuk said in an interview with the online Latvian news site DELFI.

The parliamentarian recalled that for the first time in Ukrainian history, the person who allegedly won the presidential election received less than 50% of votes. "If you compare the results of the previous presidential election, which he lost, he got fewer votes than in 2004," he said regarding Viktor Yanukovych’s results in the 2010 election.

The Rukh leader is convinced that Yulia Tymoshenko’s victory was stolen from her. "Yulia Tymoshenko, who officially received 11.5 million votes, should have become president, but the victory was stolen, like in 2004, and the judicial branch did not rise to the occasion and defend democracy in Ukraine," Borys Tarasyuk said.

"Given the situation, Yulia Tymoshenko and the political groups that have united, could do nothing but declare themselves the democratic opposition. This was done in Kyiv on March 9, Taras Shevchenko’s birthday, when we announced the creation of a united democratic coalition that includes my party, the People’s Movement of Ukraine," he said.

On March 16, representatives of eight opposition groups signed an agreement on creating a united parliamentary opposition and coordinating council.

The statement was signed by: Yulia Tymoshenko on behalf of Batkivshchyna; Serhiy Sobolev – Reforms and Order Party; Borys Tarasyuk - People's Movement of Ukraine (Rukh); Yuriy Lutsenko - People's Self-Defense; Volodymyr Stretovych - Christian Democratic Union; Mykola Katerynchuk - European Party of Ukraine; Olena Shustik - Ukrainian Social Democratic Party; and Yuriy Karmazin - Motherland Defenders Party.