Ukrainian president dissolves parliament

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-09 07:36

KIEV -- Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko dissolved parliament on Wednesday and called an early election in a political crisis following his party's withdrawal from the ruling coalition early September.

"In accordance with the Constitution I announce the dissolution of the sixth parliament and call an early vote," he said in a televised address to the nation. But the date of the election was not announced.

Yushchenko defended his move as the only way to defend the country's democracy and national interests. He also vowed to hold "a democratic and lawful" vote.

Yushchenko held talks Wednesday morning with the country's political leaders on the issue of dissolving parliament.

"All participants in the talks were in favor of holding an early parliamentary election," the president's Press Secretary Irina Vannikova told reporters after the meeting.

After the talks Yushchenko left for Rome for a two-day official visit to Italy, therefore the address had apparently been recorded in advance.

The vote will be the third parliamentary election in as many years. One year earlier, Ukraine held a snap parliamentary election in a try to resolve a lasting political crisis.

Yushchenko's "Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense" bloc quit the ruling coalition last month after Tymoshenko's bloc sided with the opposition Party of Regions to pass several laws on trimming presidential powers and triggered the political crisis.

Under Ukraine's constitution, the president can dissolve parliament if a new governing coalition is not formed within 30 days of the previous one collapsing.