Date for holding presidential elections in hands of Constitutional Court, President claims

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A date for holding regular presidential elections falls under cognizance of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, President Viktor Yushchenko claimed this Tuesday at the annual press conference in Kyiv, UKRINFORM reports.

"This issue is solely within the Constitutional Court's competence. I went to the Constitutional Court with such a petition and its explanation will be sole, as only the Constitutional Court is empowered to comment on such issues in Ukraine," V. Yushchenko stressed.

Asked by reporters about the possibility for holding snap presidential elections, he said that the matter of early presidential elections, like the question about revision of the Constitution, was brought from abroad in summer 2008. He noted that Ukraine is a European state, hence, no serious revision of the fundamental law will be made without the Ukrainian nation. Yushchenko also said that he will not allow to recede from the Constitution. "There is only one guarantee for us to address any political challenge by one way - to appeal to legal democratic methods," the Ukrainian President said.

In his opinion, reports about intentions of political forces to organize pre-term elections is a provocation.

Viktor Yushchenko recalled that draft amendments to the Constitution envisaged making amendments to the presidential election procedure and delivering the right to elect the Head of State to the Verkhovna Rada. "As long as I am the president in this country, the president will be elected by direct general voting," he emphasized.

UKRINFORM