President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko proposes a compromise to Victor Yanukovych. He said this today in a statement to the press, which reads as follows:
Esteemed journalists, I would like to make a statement on one of the country’s most controversial political issues. I am speaking about the Law on the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, passed by the Verkhovna Rada on January 12 this year. I will be laconic.
First of all, the adopted law violates the Constitution of Ukraine. This is a dead end and a road to nowhere.
Its passage ruins compromises that were made by the President, the Prime Minister and the Verkhovna Rada Speaker and confirmed in the National Unity Pact. It destabilizes Ukraine and, most importantly, destabilizes the country’s government.
Thus I would like to outline my position on the issue:
The law that was passed and sent to me for my approval differs from the Law on the Cabinet of Ministers adopted on December 21, 2006 and signed by the Speaker.
In other words, the law contains a few changes that were not in my proposals.
Comparative graphs, the transcript of that session of the Verkhovna Rada, experts’ conclusions and correspondence between the Verkhovna Rada and the Presidential Secretariat prove this fact.
The Constitution of Ukraine and the July 7/1998 decision by the Constitutional Court Of Ukraine state:
If a bill is amended when the President’s proposals are being considered and these changes conflict with these proposals, the President is entitled to act in accordance with clause 2 of Article 94 of the Constitution of Ukraine.
It means the President of Ukraine can re-veto the January 12 Law on the Cabinet of Ministers. I simply use my constitutional right and perform my constitutional duty.
I would like to say now that I want to resolve the problem in the best possible way.
First. Respecting the parliamentary decision, passed by more than two thirds of the Verkhovna Rada, I suggest that parliament change only those clauses of the law that conflict with the Constitution of Ukraine.
Second. As far as the ideology of this law is concerned, I suggest considering this issue later, when our discussion on the first part of the problem is over.
I suggest that the Verkhovna Rada, the Cabinet of Ministers and the Presidential Secretariat revise the law together.
I hope and believe the Verkhovna Rada will accept the President’s proposals.
Thank you for your attention.
