Foreign Affairs
Related: About this forumUkraine Lawmaker Manhandles Prime Minister, Sparking Parliament Brawl
KIEV Fighting broke out among members of Ukraine's ruling coalition in parliament on Friday after a member of President Petro Poroshenko's bloc physically picked up Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk and pulled him from the podium.
Yatseniuk was defending his embattled government's record when lawmaker Oleh Barna walked over to him, presenting him sarcastically with a bunch of red roses. Barna then grabbed him around the waist and groin, lifting him off his feet and dragging him from the rostrum.
Members from Yatseniuk's People Front party waded in, pushing Barna and throwing punches. Lawmakers from Poroshenko's bloc joined the fray and an angry brawl ensued for several minutes before deputies returned to their seats.
The incident exposed deep divisions in the pro-Europe coalition that have fueled speculation the government could fall even as Ukraine's Western backers warn that time is running out for Kiev to make good on its promises to root out endemic corruption and cronyism.
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ukraine-crisis/ukraine-lawmaker-manhandles-prime-minister-sparking-parliament-brawl-n478836
KoKo
(84,711 posts)bemildred
(90,061 posts)KoKo
(84,711 posts)Might be more to this than appears? Going Down the Road, of course. Not Now. More reporting needs to be done going forward.