UKRAINE:Ukrainian deputies loyal to prime minister Viktor Yanukovich voted yesterday to strip politicians of immunity from prosecution and many of their perks in defiance of a presidential decree to dissolve parliament until after this month's general election.
Almost all 269 deputies who attended the session voted in favour of the reforms, regardless of president Viktor Yushchenko's insistence that any decision made by the rebel parliament had no legal authority.
"In accordance with the constitution, Ukraine's parliament . . . is devoid of all powers. Any decision taken by such a parliament is illegitimate and has no practical force of law and no political meaning," Mr Yushchenko said before the assembly convened.
"I urge all lawmakers and especially . . . prime minister Viktor Yanukovich to stop playing tricks," he added during a televised address. "All that the coalition wants to achieve by this provocation is to disrupt elections, because it is afraid to lose power."
Mr Yushchenko and Mr Yanukovich have been at loggerheads since the former triumphed in the so-called Orange Revolution of 2004, and they will continue their power struggle in elections due on September 30th.
While Mr Yushchenko wants to guide Ukraine towards the European Union and Nato, Mr Yanukovich is sceptical of the two organisations and supports close ties with Russia, whose president, Vladimir Putin, openly supported him in the 2004 elections.
President and prime minister accuse each other of breaking the constitution and analysts say Mr Yanukovich sought to steal his rival's thunder yesterday by pushing through laws to cut deputies' privileges, which Mr Yushchenko has also advocated.
