Protesters end their 3-month Kiev sit-in

Anti-government demonstrators in Ukraine’s capital ended their nearly three-month occupation of Kiev City Hall yesterday, as promised, in exchange for the release of all jailed protesters.

But tensions remained high as hundreds stayed outside the building, vowing to retake it if the government fails to drop all criminal charges against protesters.

Prospects for an easing of the standoff between the opposition and President Viktor Yanukovych dimmed when a top opposition leader, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, again turned down an offer to become prime minister in a coalition government.

Yanukovych is expected to nominate a new prime minister in the near future, and Western officials have been advocating for a coalition government drawn from the ruling party and the opposition. But Yatsenyuk said he would not agree to take the post, which Yanukovych offered to him last month, unless the president makes further concessions, including a constitutional reform that reduces presidential powers.

“I cannot be bought with posts, Mr President. Go ahead and buy your henchmen,” Yatsenyuk told the tens of thousands of protesters who turned out for the demonstration.