Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

The secrecy and urgency of the Yanukovych-Tymoshenko coalition talks are indications that their purpose is power, not the nation’s well-being.

After an unsuccessful attempt by his allies to steal the presidency for him in 2004, Party of Regions leader Victor Yanukovych may yet get the top prize handed to him on a silver platter in 2010 – and delivered by none other than Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

The Yanukovych-Tymoshenko duo spent much of the week in opaque negotiations about the details of a “broad coalition” in parliament between the Party of the Regions and Tymoshenko’s eponymous bloc. As part of the deal reportedly in the works, their combined forces – which have a commanding 331 out of 450 votes in the Verkhovna Rada – are rumored to be interested in changing the constitution in ways that we would find appalling.

One of those rumored changes would have parliament – the gang of rich business owners with immunity from prosecution – elect the nation’s president. According to reports, this deal would allow one of them to be president while the other takes the premier's job. Both sides deny conspiring to change the constitution in such a manner. That's good, since more than 80 percent of Ukrainians have overwhelmingly and consistently said they want to elect their president.

Theoretically, a commanding coalition could benefit Ukraine if it takes decisive steps to unite east and west and if it truly combats the economic crisis with long-overdue steps to solidify a market-based and transparent economy.

But the secrecy and urgency of the Yanukovych-Tymoshenko talks are indications that their purpose is to cling to power.

Yanukovych and Tymoshenko still lead in the polls, but their popularity is eroding. Seeking fresh leaders, many Ukrainians are warming up to presidential candidate Arseniy Yatseniuk, the former Verkhovna Rada speaker. Like Yatseniuk, President Victor Yushchenko warns that the Tymoshenko-Yanukovych alliance can “bury Ukraine’s democracy.” If he's wrong, Tymoshenko and Yanukovych need to come clean soon about their aims.