Court declares unconstitutional parliament's resolution calling presidential polls for October 25, 2009

16:29

The Constitutional Court has declared unconstitutional a parliament resolution scheduling presidential elections for October 25, 2009.

The court announced the ruling, which was passed on Tuesday, at a meeting on Wednesday.

The court also declared unconstitutional the clauses of Article 17 of the Ukrainian law on presidential elections slating the polls for October 25.

As reported, on April 1, 2009, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, passed a resolution setting the next presidential elections for October 25, 2009.

On April 8, Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko challenged this decision in the Constitutional Court.

The presidential submission reads that according to constitutional amendments passed on December 8, 2004, which took effect on January 1, 2006, the election of the head of state should be held "on the last Sunday of the last month of the fifth year of the Ukrainian president in office." Thus, in his opinion, the next presidential elections should take place on January 17, 2010.

The president's term of office is five years. Incumbent President Viktor Yuschenko was elected the head of state in December, and officially assumed office in January 2005.