Yushchenko Offers To Push Back Elections As Constitutional Court Delays Hearing

In his meeting with Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich yesterday, President Yushchenko offered to move back the date of new elections from May 27 to the end of June, however he stressed that new elections would be held no matter what. In related news, the Constitutional Court, which had been scheduled to begin hearing the case regarding the legality of Yushchenko’s dismissal of the Rada, announced that it was postponing the hearings until April 17, as five constitutional court judges said that they were refusing to take part in the case due to political pressure being put on them the by forces loyal to the government. Nick Piazza:  Yushchenko’s offer to move back the date for elections was more symbolic than anything else as there is almost no chance the Central Elections Commission could hold new elections on May 27.  If the five judges do in fact skip the hearings it will put the Constitutional Court on the verge of not being able to hear the case as 12 judges (of the court’s 18) are required to reach quorum. Several Russian MPs are scheduled to arrive in the capital this morning to support the government, so expect the rhetoric to be turned up a notch. Additionally the President’s Our Ukraine Bloc has called for its supporters to attend a rally today in the center of Kyiv, and hundreds of orange-clad students have appeared in one of the cities central squares, however, as of this morning neither side looked interested in much more than posing for photographs and enjoying the warm weather.