At a press conference in Kyiv, Victor Yushchenko said all parliamentarians of the Fourth Convocation of the Verkhovna Rada must “pay off their debt to the citizens of Ukraine” and hold a swearing-in ceremony for judges of Ukraine’s constitutional court, according to the President’s press-office. He characterized their reluctance to convene the court as a “direct violation of the Constitution” and a “step that caused serious disparities in our politics and was a threat to the country during the election campaign.”
The President also opined that the deputies refused to hold the ceremony being afraid that the court might repeal the January 1 constitutional changes.
“I am ready to pledge not to ask them revise the Constitution until we stabilize the country,” he said.
However, the Chief of State suggested they should later hold a roundtable to discuss the issue. Mr. Yushchenko said he hoped his proposals to change some articles of the Constitution to better balance the system of government would not be opposed by the Ukrainian nation.
