Yushchenko signs another decree to call extraordinary parliamentary elections

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Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has a new decree today calling extraordinary parliamentary elections on September 30. The text of the decree “On amending the decree of the Ukrainian President of June 5, 2007 #497” is made public by the presidential press office today, a REGNUM correspondent reports. The decree says that the extraordinary parliamentary elections are called because the mandate of the Supreme Rada is suspended ahead of time and that the election campaign starts on August 2.

The first decree to dissolve the parliament and appoint the extraordinary elections for May 27, 2007, was signed by the Ukrainian president on April 2. MPs — members of the coalition turned to the Constitutional Court to appeal against the decree as illegitimate. On April 26, Viktor Yushchenko signed a second decree to dissolve the Supreme Rada and set the date of the extraordinary parliamentary elections for June 24, 2007, and the decree of April 2 was declared invalid. The third decree that sets the date for September 30, was signed on June 5, after the president, the prime minister and the parliamentary chair came to agreement on it.