Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko's decree to dissolve
parliament came into force Tuesday and Ukraine's prime minister
immediately challenged what he called a "fatal error" in the
courts.?
The pro-Western president has been locked in a struggle for
power and authority with Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich since
appointing him last August.
Yushchenko said he signed the decree on Monday to "preserve the
state". The two men met later Tuesday. "The main issue discussed at
the meeting was to ensure strict implementation of the decree on an
early election," the president's press service said.
?
"Viktor Yushchenko, as commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed
forces, also stressed he would allow no use of force in the
country." Yanukovich told supporters a solution to the dispute
would come only through negotiation.
The decree published in the official gazette set a parliamentary
election for May 27. Even if all sides agree to take part, it could
produce more of the stalemate that has afflicted Ukraine since a
parliamentary poll just over a year ago.
In parliament, where Yanukovich is backed by a three-party
coalition, 53 members asked the Constitutional Court to strike out
the decree. The prime minister's Regions Party asked the court to
work round the clock to establish clarity.
Yanukovich called the decree a "fatal error" and said his
government would function "without impediment". "Change is a
natural thing in society but there exists a constitution as a legal
framework for carrying it out," he told the chamber.
There was no visible sign of political tension in the streets of
central Kiev. The hryvnia currency was stable although Ukraine's
sovereign dollar bonds sold off on the news.
The tough stances adopted by both sides raised political
tensions 2-1/2 years after the "Orange Revolution" which forced out
a political establishment in power for years.
Eight months of sniping between the two rivals burst into the
open last week when the president accused Yanukovich of illegally
expanding his coalition majority by poaching Yushchenko's
supporters.
The immediate prospect was that Yanukovich might refuse to
accept the dissolution, tipping the country of 47 million into a
constitutional crisis and raising the possibility of clashes in the
streets between rival protesters.
One of the premier's lieutenants suggested holding "round table"
discussions with the participation of foreign experts akin to the
mediation which helped resolve the 2004 standoff.
In a Kiev park, 2,000 backers of Yanukovich gathered in a tent
camp festooned with banners, a smaller version of street gatherings
that swept Yushchenko to power. Many protesters had journeyed from
the premier's strongholds in eastern Ukraine.
Yushchenko beat Yanukovich in the re-run of the allegedly rigged
2004 election that triggered the "Orange Revolution" protests. His
powers have been cut since by constitutional change and his
popularity has sunk after liberals accused him of indecision.
In Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry urged politicians to
show restraint, as did Germany in the name of the European Union
presidency.
US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack urged political
leaders "to take full responsibility for their supporters' actions
and to maintain calm".
(China Daily via agencies April 4, 2007)
