Ukraine Govt in disarray as MPs vote to sack Cabinet

MOSCOW - Ukraine was plunged into a fresh political crisis after the Government fell for the second time in six months when MPs voted to sack the Cabinet in response to an allegedly "traitorous" deal with Russia over gas prices.

A febrile atmosphere reigned as President Viktor Yushchenko, the hero of the Orange revolution of 2004, questioned the Parliament's right to dismiss his Government while ministers spoke of a bizarre legal vacuum opening up.

Yushchenko hinted he might disband the Parliament in response, as his supporters called on him to adopt direct presidential rule until new parliamentary elections could be held at the end of March. The problem was exacerbated by the fact that Yushchenko was en route to the former Soviet state of Kazakhstan when his Government was dismissed and said he had no intention of changing his schedule.

Parliament's vote of no confidence was called during a debate on the recent gas crisis. Moscow switched off Ukraine's gas for three days in response to Kiev's refusal to pay higher prices, hitting supplies across Europe before the two sides clinched a face-saving deal.

Yushchenko and his team hailed the deal (which effectively doubled the price Ukraine pays for Russian gas) as a victory for Kiev and have argued that Ukraine's economic independence has been safeguarded. But MPs and opposition groups are unconvinced. They said that they were unhappy with the Government's handling of the crisis and accused it of selling out to Russia.

The motion to sack the Government was backed by 250 of 450 MPs.

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