presidential powers, a move closely watched by Christian groups and others demanding more transparency and an end to corruption.
The announcement comes as the country prepares for elections in September aimed at ending a power struggle between him and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich, who favors closer ties with Russia.
Speaking in front of Kiev’s Saint Sofia Cathedral, Yuschenko said the changes could be introduced after an election on September 30. Parliament three years ago adopted legislation transferring significant powers from the president to the prime minister. This led to a stalemate between Yushchenko and Yanukovych, but the two sides agreed to hold the early ballot election in a bid to resolve the impasse.
Yushchenko said changes are needed in the constitution to restore his presidential powers and end the deadlock with Yanukovich. He said he also hopes his actions would boost efforts to introduce Western-style reforms, including closer ties with NATO and the European Union, as well as bring an end to high-level corruption.
CHRISTIANS CONCERNED
Several human rights groups as well as churches have been expressing concerns about what they see as a moral decline in Ukraine. Christians in Western Ukraine in border areas with Hungary have been involved in actions to end corruption among officials, despite threats from what they describe as local mafia groups backed by authorities, BosNewsLife revealed earlier. They have also been praying for the government.
"Political experiments led to an avalanche of corruption and the destruction of the minds of this and much younger generations," said Yushchenko. "This year’s early election is my very straight forward reaction on a plot against Ukraine launched by corrupt politicians. I know how to make order in our Ukrainian house. We are starting the renewal of the constitution, and I am calling for the convening of a constitutional council that will start to write down the draft of a new constitution," he added.
The president said the revisions would be presented to citizens for approval in a nationwide referendum. The September 30 elections for parliament mark the fourth time in less than three years that Ukrainians will be voting in a national election. Polls show Prime Minister Yanukovich’s Regions Party slightly ahead of parties allied with President Yushchenko.
FIRE BURNING
In an apparent effort to increase his popularity, Yushchenko last week diverted his plane to join crews battling a forest fire that had been raging for three days and demanded the resignation of the minister responsible for public safety. The president was returning to Kiev from southern Ukraine when he spotted a long plume of smoke. He ordered the pilot to change course and land in Kherson region.
Television footage showed Yushchenko, gearing up for a parliamentary election next month, picking up a shovel heaving sand on onto smoldering woodland and straining to help firefighters push a vehicle out of a bog. A statement from the president’s office reportedly said Yushchenko had "personally taken control of firefighting and rescue efforts" and accused Emergencies Minister Nestor Shufrych of misleading the public on efforts to bring the fire under control.
"The minister has displayed total incompetence and is completely uninformed," presidential chief of staff Viktor Baloga said. "The president demands that the prime minister review whether N. Shufrych should remain in his job. Incompetent and unprofessional individuals have no place in government." (Parts of this BosNewsLife News Story also airs on Voice of America (VOA). http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-08-25-voa20.cfm)
