Hot days in Ukraine's stand-off
A majority of the judges are appointed by President Victor Yuschenko, the author of the decree. Correspondingly, the members of the coalition could not be satisfied with their impartiality. The judges, however, would not elaborate on who and in which form has been putting them under pressure. Yet, they demanded that normal conditions be ensured so that they could pass impartial decisions. Among other things, they said they needed security guarantees arranged by the state.
Politicians are outspoken about their views on how the judges will rule. For example, Raisa Bogatyreva, the coordinator of the parliamentary majority, is convinced that the judges will declare the president’s decree unconstitutional. It means that no snap polls would be announced.
Quite the opposite, Yulia Timoshenko is convinced that the judges will declare Victor Yuschenko’s decree legitimate.
The impression is that the politicians have realized the inefficiency of street rallies and shifted the stand-off to courts. But, judges are changing their decision surprisingly quickly. A city court of Feodosia on April 6 ruled not to implement the president’s decree on snap elections.
On the same day, the court of appeals in the city of Simferopol revoked this ruling. On Monday the judges of a district court in Lugansk region initially ruled not to obey to the president’s decree, but later revoked their own decision.
Meanwhile, the main ruling is to be made by the Constitutional Court, which is scheduled to hear the case on April 17. Will the judges who complained about the pressure take part in the hearing? It is not clear. However, the coalition announced about plans to stage a rally in front of the court’s building.
According to statements from different political camps, a total of 750,000 people would take to the streets. However, the variance between the declared number of demonstrators and the real figures has become a signature of this political conflict.
Photo by http://kiev4u.narod.ru
