LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Ukraine: Ukraine's Parliament
built 238 days ago
Ukraine declared its sovereignty within the Soviet Union in July 1990 as a prelude to unfolding events in the year to come. The Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's Parliament) again declared its independence in early December 1991 following the results of referendum in November 1991 which indicated overwhelming popular support (92% in favour of independence). This declaration became a concrete reality as the Soviet Union formally ceased to exist on December 25, 1991. Initially, there were concerns that democracy did not really exist as former communist and oligarch rule prevailed in the early years following independence. The issues of cronyism, corruption, continued voting irregularities came to a head with the heavily-disputed 2004 Presidential election, where allegations of vote-rigging sparked what became known as the "Orange Revolution". This revolution resulted in the subsequent election of opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko as President.
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In July 1990, Ukraine's parliament issued a declaration of sovereignty. It was not a declaration of independence – that would come just over a year later, after a military coup failed in Moscow, leading to the unravelling of the Soviet Union.
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In Jan. 2006, Russia suddenly quadrupled the price of gas sold to Ukraine, triggering an energy crisis in the country. Ukraine maintained that Russia, angry at Ukraine's growing pro-Western stance and its loss of influence in the region, was attempting to damage its economy. Russia maintained that the rise in prices was purely a commercial consideration. Russia briefly stemmed the flow of gas to Ukraine to force the country to accept the higher prices, sending alarms throughout Europe—a quarter of Europe's gas supplies come from Russia via Ukraine's pipelines. A compromise was eventually reached, with Ukraine agreeing to pay about double its current price. Furious at the unfavorable terms of the deal, Ukraine's parliament then sacked the government of prime minister Yuri Yekhanurov.
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