Ukraine's PM refuses order to hold early elections

Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych has refused to accept a presidential order to hold early parliamentary elections.

He said he would wait until the Constitutional Court ruled on its legality.

President Viktor Yushchenko ordered parliament dissolved on Monday night, and called new elections for May 27.

The president’s move created the most serious political crisis since the 2004 Orange Revolution, and plunged the two rival leaders into a sharp political stand-off.

Parliament’s majority coalition and the government, led by Mr Yanukovych, have called Mr Yushchenko’s decision illegal and appealed to the 18-judge Constitutional Court.

“Until the issue is considered by the Constitutional Court, we will not prepare for elections in any way,” Mr Yanukovych said today.

Mr Yanukovych accused the president’s office of putting pressure on the court’s judges, and announced that the court’s Chief Justice Ivan Dombrovsky planned to resign. Court spokesman Ivan Avramov said he did not have such information.

The dispute between Mr Yushchenko and Mr Yanukovych echoed their struggle in 2004’s bitter presidential race and the subsequent mass protests, when Mr Yushchenko’s supporters erected a tent city and remained for weeks to protest against elections which they said fraudulently gave power to Mr Yanukovych.

The protests became known as the Orange Revolution, after Mr Yushchenko’s campaign colour.

During that dispute, Ukraine’s Supreme Court played a major role.

This time, the focus is shifting to the little-known Constitutional Court, which has not rendered any decisions in more than eight months.

During Yanukovych’s government meeting, Mr Yushchenko’s ally in the government, Defence Minister Anatoliy Hrytsenko, countered that it was wrong to wait for the slow-moving court.

He said the presidential order must be fulfilled, and suggested those ministers who disagree should resign.