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Kiev tense as Ukraine president promises early elections

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s president has given in to pressure from European diplomats and is offering concessions to defuse the crisis that has divided his country and left scores dead.

Photo by Abayomi Azikiwe, flikr
Photo by Abayomi Azikiwe, flikr

After all-night negotiating in Kiev, President Viktor Yanukovych announced early presidential elections and promised to bring opposition members into the government, though he didn’t say when. He’s also promising constitutional reforms that would trim presidential powers, which has been a key demand of protesters.

Despite the concessions, the capital remains tense today. Shots rang out near the protest camp and skeptical members of the opposition massed in central Kiev, divided over what to do next.

One lawmaker allied with the opposition tells the Associated Press the deaths of 77 people yesterday in clashes between police and protesters “changes the stakes,” and nothing short of Yanukovych’s immediate resignation will satisfy the protest movement. She says protesters will not abandon occupied buildings until after the constitution is changed.

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