Ukraine president says Dec election is "no tragedy"

By Yuri Kulikov

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said on Thursday the December 7 early election he had called was "no tragedy" and urged voters to look upon the third such ballot in as many years as a vital part of democracy.

Yushchenko, visiting Italy when the decree setting the date was issued, also said Ukraine had lost valuable time in rows "deciding who should be the horse and who the jockey."

Polling day was announced after the president said he had abandoned the search for a viable coalition in parliament.

In a Wednesday evening television address, he blamed Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, his estranged ally from the 2004 "Orange Revolution," for the break-up of a coalition that emerged from the pro-Western upheaval which swept him to power.

Speaking to reporters in Rome, Yushchenko said Ukraine would have faced "anarchy" had he failed to act.

"Leaving everything in a state of uncertainty would truly have pushed an institute like parliament into chaos," he said.

"I would not like millions of Ukrainians to see this early election as a tragedy of some sort. We live in a democratic country and democracy is like a lady who has an answer to any question. She has neither weapons, nor cannons, nor tanks, but she always comes up with an answer."

He told Ukrainians at a church in the Italian capital: "The reason we have been unable to achieve an agreement is that we lost too much time deciding who should be the horse and who the jockey."

ELECTION FINANCE

He said parliament would proceed with measures to finance the campaign, after which his decree would be published. The government under Tymoshenko, he said, would stay in place.

Parliament in Kiev put election finance on its agenda, but Tymoshenko's bloc, hoping to challenge the decree in the courts, swarmed around the rostrum and debate was put off until Friday.

One of Tymoshenko's members, Andriy Portnov, told media the premier was unwell and therefore had made no statements.

Voters were clearly angry at the prospect of another poll.

"I, for one, will not be voting. I mean, how many times are we expected to do this?" said Natalya, a pensioner.

Independent analyst Oleksander Dergachyov said the election would do little to remedy underlying political problems.