Yushchenko Reschedules Elections, Reinforces Decree

In a surprise and concise address to the nation on Wednesday night, President Yushchenko announced his decision to hold the elections on June 24, not May 27 as his previous decree stated. He thereby rescinded his April 2 dissolution decree, replacing it with one that contains stronger constitutional language.

Filled with numerous citations, it comes as a smart move that offers the voters a better explanation of where both sides of the conflict stand. The punch line remains unchanged: The coalition has violated the choice made by the voters in the last election, and thus has violated their constitutional rights.

So, “it ain’t over till it’s over,” as the saying goes, meaning that the coalition has to do it over again. Only this time the Yanukovych lobby in the Constitutional Court will probably have a harder time derailing Yushchenko’s case.

As today’s session of the unruly Rada opened — on a day that marks the 21st anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster — the guys there didn’t look quite as happy as they did a few days ago. The luster and confidence they exuded has tarnished. The practice of licking one’s lips in front of the camera — peppering the audience with spoilers on how the pet Court will bomb Yushchenko into submission — has come to a hiatus.

Breaking News: Yushchenko Dissolves Parliament ¡Adios Amigos!

He did it! The Coalition of National ImpUnity has met in emergency session and is expected to pull a meditative allnighter.

Ohryzko Rejected Again

As expected, the Anticrisis-controlled parliament turned down Yushchenko’s pick for Foreign Affairs Minister. Word of advice for Ohryzko: If you really want this job, take a crash course in unlearning Ukrainian.

Rada Unplugged: BYuT MPs Continue Blockade of Electricity Room

Starting Wednesday, BYuT representatives have taken control of the facility that powers the Session Hall. (Power has been restored to the voting system, though.) Their demands? Scale back the recent utility hike and raise minimum wages.

Technically, such parliamentary tactics, commonplace in the Ukrainian legislature, can be considered a minor disturbance. Politically, they come as a slap in the face for PM Yanukovych, whose 2006 campaign slogan read “Better living today.”

Lutsenko Goes On
Interior Minister Resists Rada’s Furlough, Says Constitution on His Side

One of the three untouchables in the Yanukovych Cabinet, Interior Minister Lutsenko has ignored a parliamentary bid to temporarily relieve him of his duties.
An investigation commission has been set up in the Anticrisis-controlled Rada to conduct a probe into his activities.

With the backing of President Yushchenko and Constitutional lawyers, the besieged Minister has stood his ground. It is still unclear whether the three ministers (Interior, Exterior, and Defense) will quit on their own volition, leaving the Yanuke Cabinet to its own devices.

Why mess with Lutsenko, anyway? There's no explanation other than he must have been a real pain in the ass for the immaculate region whose identity, for reasons of confidentiality, will remain undisclosed.