KIEV, January 11 (RIA Novosti) - A former prime minister of Ukraine and current opposition leader called Wednesday for an interim government to be formed in the country after parliament voted to dismiss the current Cabinet.
Viktor Yanukovich, who lost the 2004 presidential elections to Viktor Yushchenko, told his official Web site that an interim government had to be set up. But he said the Party of Regions, which he leads, was unlikely to play any role in it, "as the party does not want to take responsibility for a short period of time."
Yanukovich said Ukrainian authorities were to blame for the current situation, adding that the president, parliament and opposition should discuss handling the situation before the upcoming elections in March. "Agreement should be reached on how to work further," he said.
Yanukovich said the dismissal of the Yekhanurov government was not a surprise for him, since it had been following the policy of the previous Cabinet led by Yuliya Timoshenko, who was dismissed by President Yushchenko last September after just seven months in office.
He branded the policy "irresponsible" and said it had led to a decline in Ukrainians' living standards and to the destabilization of many economic sectors.
Parliament voted in favor of dismissing Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov's government Tuesday, 80 days before the parliamentary elections, after Ukraine struck a controversial deal on natural gas supplies with Russia on January 4.
