Ukrainian parliament dissolves, furthering crisis

A political crisis is brewing in Ukraine as two ruling parties withdrew from the parliament, and the legal authorities try to ban the Communist Party.

BuzzFeed reports that two political parties have withdrawn from the Ukrainian Parliament, a move that sets the stage for new parliamentary elections if a governing coalition cannot be assembled within 30 days. At that time, the Ukrainian president can call new elections.

The parties that have withdrawn are Svboda, a far-right nationalist party, and Udar, the pro-European party founded by former heavy weight boxing champion and current mayor of Kiev, Vitlay Klitschko.

Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk also resigned, because without a functioning parliament, there is basically nothing he can do for Ukraine.

The parties' decisions to leave the governing coalition were made because the majority of the current Parliament consists of people elected under the rule of the now deposed Viktor Yanukovich. Because of this, most Ukrainians view the parliament as corrupt and believe that the Kremlin exercises undue influence over some members.

Reuters reports that the moves to leave the governing coalition were hailed by the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. He said that by choosing to leave the government and force new elections, the parties were following the will of the people who had elected them to office.

While the democratic will of some people was being honored, Ukraine was also taking steps to deny the democratic will of others by attempting to ban the Communist Party, according to The Associated Press.

The Ukrainian Justice Ministry has accused the Communist Party of supporting pro-Russian forces by providing financing and weaponry. Whether or not these allegations are true, the banning of the Communist Party is not the proper way to deal with the matter.

As 13 percent of the Ukrainian population voted for the Communist Party in the last elections, this move will only further stoke internal divisions and undermine the legitimacy of the government in Kiev because those people will not have a group they feel represents their interests.