Photo Gallery

1. Vadym Karasiov, the director of the Global Strategies Institute		2. Vadym Karasiov, the director of the Global Strategies Institute		3. the Global Strategies Institute's Director Vadym Karasiov and the Center for Political Studies' Director Mykhailo Pohrebynskyi
4. Mykhailo Pohrebynskyi, the director of the Center for Political Studies		5. Mykhailo Pohrebynskyi, the director of the Center for Political Studies		6. Andrii Yermolaev, director of the Sofia center for sociological studies
7. Political scientist Vitalii Portnikov		8. Volodymyr Fesenko, the head of the Penta centre of applied political studies		9. Volodymyr Fesenko, the head of the Penta centre of applied political studies

Experts are forecasting that Parliament Speaker Arsenii Yatseniuk will contest the early parliamentary elections scheduled for December as part of a pro-presidential bloc.

"[Yatseniuk] will most likely not participate in these elections independently. Obviously, they have finally succeeded in persuading him to be in the bloc of [President Viktor] Yuschenko," says Volodymyr Fesenko, the head of the Penta centre of applied political studies.

Fesenko stressed that Yatseniuk on his own could win no fewer votes than the Our Ukraine People's Union party (OUPU).

Vadym Karasiov, the director of the Global Strategies Institute, agrees with Fesenko's opinion on Yatseniuk's participation as a member of the pro-presidential bloc.

Karasiov stressed that Yuschenko will most likely form an eponymous bloc, which could include OUPU, the Ukrainian People's Party, and -- independently or together with their own political forces -- Vitalii Klychko (the leader of the eponymous bloc in the Kyiv municipal council), the National Security and Defense Council's secretary Raisa Bohatyriova, and prime ministerial adviser Serhii Tihipko.

Mykhailo Pohrebynskyi, the director of the Center for Political Studies, believes that Yatseniuk may contest the elections on his own, but only with Yuschenko's approval.

"Yatseniuk is not an independent politician; he was not and will not be. If he runs separately, then only on the instructions of the president," Pohrebynskyi said.

At the same time, Pohrebynskyi doubts that Yatseniuk's political force will be able to enter the parliament on its own.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, Yatseniuk plans to create a political project.

President Viktor Yuschenko dissolved the parliament on October 8 and scheduled early parliamentary elections for December 7.