Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko on Monday announced a freeze on a sweeping privatisation programme of state-run firms ahead of legislative elections next month, saying the deals could be shady. "During this period which is sensitive from a political point of view, it is not worth our while to initiate or organise" fresh privatisation schemes, he told a news conference.
Yushchenko had earlier during his presidency said he would review privatisation schemes undertaken during the regime of his predecessor Leonid Kuchma. "I am absolutely convinced that the executive and the State Property Fund are not capable of executing an impartial and objective privatisation," said the pro-Western president, who is at loggerheads with his Moscow-backed prime minister Viktor Yanukovych.