05 October 2010, 11:53
"If the authorities are not respected in the country, it is a misfortune, but if these authorities are illegitimate, it is a tragedy," Mykola Tomenko, Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, stated, speaking at the parliamentary meeting today.
"The latest resolution of the Constitutional Court poses a serious obstacle to the understanding of the further development of the country", M.Tomenko stated, reminding of the principle of legitimacy. "Considering the public opinion as to the appropriateness of denying six years of life and restoring the Constitution passed six years ago, the rate of legitimacy of this resolution totals 13%", M.Tomenko announced. (According to the public opinion poll held by Ukrainske Demokratychne Kolo agency at request of the Institute of Politics, the majority of Ukrainians (56,2%) would rather the Constitution not be amended, while 13,3% of respondents believe that the Constitution of Ukraine of 1996 should be restored under the Constitutional Court Resolution).
"As to the legitimacy, passing the resolution on the old-new Constitution without Parliament´s consent is a cynical neglect of the law and the Constitution," M .Tomenko stressed. He admitted that the Parliament was not even allowed to promulgate the resolution of the Constitutional Court.
M.Tomenko stressed: "To authorize the President to run for the third term seems to be the main goal of the Constitutional Court resolution."
The Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine announced the intention of the opposition to hold a special meeting to listen to the experts, the President and the Constitutional Court members "to understand further development of the country that experienced a constitutional counterrevolution." He emphasized that the Constitutional Court had passed the Resolution that leveled the key function of the President as the Protector of the Constitution, turning the Parliament into a voting agency, and the Government into a technical body.
M.Tomenko stated that the opposition demanded setting up an ad hoc panel to investigate the fact that "almost half of the members of the Constitutional Court that would not have considered such resolution six years ago, voted for the act denying six years of our life."
According to M.Tomenko, the opposition will demand scrutiny of the resolution on responsibility of the Constitutional Court members, and on early parliamentary and presidential elections. "If the President is not the Protector of the Constitution, then the public and the opposition should assume this authority and protect civil rights," he emphasized.