Ukraine election deal hits another snag

A tentative deal to ease Ukraine’s political crisis snagged today over the opposition’s refusal to endorse constitutional changes and President Leonid Kuchma’s rejection of the call to fire his prime minister.

An initial agreement envisaged the parliament’s simultaneous passage today of the electoral changes to prevent fraud in the December 26 presidential election re-run between Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych and the government-pushed constitutional reform that would trim presidential powers.