Ukraine language crisis stays unresolved

AFP/Kyiv
Ukraine’s fractious parliament has adjourned for a summer recess despite failing to resolve a crisis over its rushed passing of a controversial bill elevating the status of Russian.
In its final session, the Verkhovna Rada voted not to even consider whether to accept the resignation of Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn who announced he would quit after not being warned that the chamber was preparing to pass the bill.
The Rada is not due to convene again until September 4 and the recess essentially leaves Ukrainian politics in limbo as the speaker’s signature is required for the bill – adopted on Tuesday – to be considered approved.
“The bill cannot be passed to the president (for signing to become law) because there were a huge number of violations in its adoption,” Lytvyn told the parliament’s TV channel.
Deputy Speaker Adam Martynyuk, chairing the last day’s business in the absence of Lytvyn, thanked deputies for their “fruitful work” – words many Ukrainians tired of their soap-opera parliament will see as hugely ironic.
Lytvyn had earlier this week turned on Martynyuk for presiding over Tuesday’s vote behind his back.
“This is my former comrade, with whom I shared bread and salt, and who gave me up. Completely,” Lytvyn said.
The language law – promoted by the dominant Regions Party of President Viktor Yanukovych – has raised hackles among nationalist-inclined Ukrainians who fear it will erode the status of the Ukrainian language.
The law stops short of elevating Russian to be the second official language along with Ukrainian but allows minority languages to be used in official business in regions where it is the native tongue of over 10% of the population.
This encompasses Hungarian in the far west of the country, Romanian in the southwest, Tatar in Crimea but chiefly concerns Russian which is the main language in the densely populated pro-Moscow and industrialised east.
Olexander Yefremov, leader of the Regions Party faction in parliament, told reporters that the only solution to break the deadlock would be to hold an extraordinary session of parliament, most likely on July 31.
The chaos following the Rada’s adoption of the bill has revived Ukraine’s reputation for instability.