Russian bill in Ukraine passes initial test
Source: Agencies |
June 6, 2012, Wednesday
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DEFYING vehement opposition, Ukraine's pro-government lawmakers yesterday gave tentative approval to a bill that would allow the use of Russian in official settings alongside Ukrainian in some regions.
Several thousand flag-waving activists staged a noisy protest outside Parliament, protesting that the bill that would allow Russian to be used in courts, hospitals and other institutions in Russian-speaking regions. The previous discussion of the bill late last month triggered a fight between lawmakers.
Tensions are running high in Ukraine ahead of the Euro 2012 football championship that kicks off here on Friday and the October parliamentary election, in which the opposition has vowed to break President Viktor Yanukovych's grip on power.
Yanukovych loyalists who draw their support from the Russian-speaking east and south of Ukraine, passed the bill in the first of two votes yesterday morning, saying it will give millions of Russian speakers in Ukraine the right to use the tongue of their choice. It was unclear when the final vote would take place.
Members of the pro-Western opposition say the bill will make Russian the de facto second official language and stem Ukrainian by creating no incentive for millions of Ukrainians to learn and use it.
Ukraine is riven by historical and cultural divisions, with the Ukrainian-speaking west yearning to shake off Russian influence and be part of Europe, and the Russian-speaking areas largely wanting to maintain Ukraine's historic ties to Moscow.
Several thousand flag-waving activists staged a noisy protest outside Parliament, protesting that the bill that would allow Russian to be used in courts, hospitals and other institutions in Russian-speaking regions. The previous discussion of the bill late last month triggered a fight between lawmakers.
Tensions are running high in Ukraine ahead of the Euro 2012 football championship that kicks off here on Friday and the October parliamentary election, in which the opposition has vowed to break President Viktor Yanukovych's grip on power.
Yanukovych loyalists who draw their support from the Russian-speaking east and south of Ukraine, passed the bill in the first of two votes yesterday morning, saying it will give millions of Russian speakers in Ukraine the right to use the tongue of their choice. It was unclear when the final vote would take place.
Members of the pro-Western opposition say the bill will make Russian the de facto second official language and stem Ukrainian by creating no incentive for millions of Ukrainians to learn and use it.
Ukraine is riven by historical and cultural divisions, with the Ukrainian-speaking west yearning to shake off Russian influence and be part of Europe, and the Russian-speaking areas largely wanting to maintain Ukraine's historic ties to Moscow.
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