| Parliament ignores demands of opposition rally |
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| Tuesday, 07 September 2010 17:11 |
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The opposition held a rally near Parliament on September 7, the private 5 Kanal TV channel has reported. "Several thousand" opposition activists and representatives of the Yulia Tymoshenko-led Fatherland party and the Freedom association took part in the rally, the TV channel said. The rally participants demanded that Parliament impose a moratorium on increasing the utility rates and the price of gas for households. The participants also protested against the rise in the pension age. "First of all, we demand that Parliament discuss the bill on a moratorium on any increases in gas and utility rates and other state services that are provided in your towns and cities. Second, we have submitted and we will support a bill on a moratorium on the rise in the retirement age," former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was shown saying. Several hundred supporters of the authorities were also present, and the channel's report said that police stood between the two rallies. Meanwhile, representatives of the ruling coalition and the opposition clashed in the parliamentary chamber. On the first day of the seventh session of the sixth convocation of Parliament, the opposition attempted to block the rostrum to ensure the discussion over the suggested moratorium, but MPs of the ruling coalition prevented them from doing so, the channel reported. After a small scuffle near the rostrum, Parliament continued its work. It voted down the idea of a moratorium on raising gas and utility rates.
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