Ukrainian president dissolves parliament
President Viktor Yushchenko has dissolved Ukraine’s parliament and called early elections.
However, parliament refused to acknowledge yesterday’s order and vowed to continue meeting as the country slipped further into political turmoil.
The deadlock follows months of manoeuvring by Yushchenko and his rival, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, and signals the possible return of competing protests, tent camps and political rallies to the streets of Kiev – two years after mass protests helped propel Yushchenko to power.
After holding more than seven hours of talks with top politicians, Mr Yushchenko accused Mr Yanukovych’s parliamentary majority of seeking to expand its power base in violation of the Constitution by recruiting members from pro-presidential factions.
“My actions are dictated by the strict necessity to save the state’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Mr Yushchenko said in a live televised address. “It is not only my right, it is my obligation.”
As Mr Yushchenko spoke, parliament met in extraordinary session, where it voted to block money for the new election, which he set for May 27. Parliament Speaker Oleksandr Moroz said Yushchenko had no legal basis to make such a decision and politicians adopted a statement calling it baseless.
Mr Yanukovych’s Cabinet convened later in a special session, where he appealed to Mr Yushchenko to cancel the dissolution and go back to the negotiation table. “In this case, the state will live calmly, in a civilised way and develop ... all other actions will cause the situation in the country to significantly deteriorate,” a tired-looking Mr Yanukovych said. He suggested his coalition was ready for major compromises.
Earlier, Mr Yanukovych’s party members said they were likely to pursue an appeal to the Constitutional Court, which played a key role in the bitter 2004 presidential race between Mr Yushchenko and Mr Yanukovych.
Mr Yushchenko insisted that “The political situation in the state is under control and stable”.
“I am calling on the Ukrainian people to make a fair, conscious and responsible choice which will end this stage of political conflict and will open a new stage for Ukraine,” he said.
