Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko on Thursday demanded that
the Ukrainian parliament cancel its vote to dismiss the
government.
"Today I signed an appeal to parliament with a demand to cancel
the unconstitutional decision to sack the government," Yushchenko
said at the opening of a government meeting.
Voicing support for the Cabinet, the president said, "Today
Ukraine has a fully-fledged government in the center and in the
regions."
He said the vote to sack the Cabinet was backed by "political
forces that work against national interests." He accused opposition
lawmakers of seeking "to create instability in the country."
Yushchenko also revoked his signature on a cooperation agreement
between the government and the opposition. He said the move by the
opposition has "violated the fundamental principle of this
agreement -- cooperation in working out joint actions concerning
the stabilization of the internal political situation in
Ukraine."
Ukraine's parliament voted on Tuesday to dismiss Prime Minister
Yuri Yekhanurov's government following last week's deal to pay much
higher prices for gas imports from Russia.
It remains to be seen exactly how the parliament will respond to
Yushchenko's request.
(Xinhua News Agency January 13, 2006)
