UKRAINE: Ukraine's shaky democracy was dealt another blow yesterday when its constitutional court ruled that the unpopular President Leonid Kuchma could seek a third term in office, despite a law to the contrary.
Last week MPs gave preliminary approval to constitutional amendments to have the president elected by the legislature, not the general electorate, from 2006, while removing some presidential powers.
Opposition leaders accuse Mr Kuchma of trying to choose his successor through the parliament he controls, or trying to secure himself another powerful government role. The court ruled that because Mr Kuchma was two years into his first term when the constitution - which limits presidents to two five-year terms - came into effect in 1996, he is free to stand again in October 2004 for what could be a shortened, two-year term. Mr Kuchma has said he will not seek a third term, but critics believe his attempts to change the constitution suggest otherwise.
"This [constitutional change] is vital for the political survival of Kuchma, and even for his freedom," said Kirill Frolov, a specialist on Ukraine at the Commonwealth of Independent States Research Institute in Moscow.
During his presidency the country has endured restrictions on the media, the death of a prominent opposition journalist Georgiy Gongadze and allegations of election-rigging and corruption.
Opposition leaders, who staged massive protests in the autumn accusing the president of corruption, described the court as an "instrument of the authorities" and warned that more protests would follow.
"[The decision] shows once again what is the level of democracy in Ukraine," said Ihor Ostash, an MP in the opposition party Our Ukraine. The leader of Our Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, is seen as the probable winner of a fair election by the whole electorate.