Ukrainians file lawsuits demanding courts to ban Pres Yushchenko to run for president

October28200920:30

Several lawsuits have been filed with Kyiv, Kherson, Poltava and Odesa administrative courts demanding that Pres Yushchenko be banned to participate in the presidential election campaign as candidate, Yushchenko’s representative in the Central Election Commission Maryna Stavnijhuk said, addressing a closed staff meeting at the Ukrayinsky House on Tuesday.

According to Kommersant-Ukrayina, a similar appeal was filed in Kyiv by city council deputy Oleksandr Pabat from “Kyiv’s Civic Group,” who masterminded the whole campaign. Pabat has also appealed to CEC to deny Pres Yushchenko registration as candidate.

Earlier, Yushchenko’s chief of staff Vira Ulyanchenko declared her boss won’t take any leave of office for campaigning, saying Yushchenko will campaign in his off-duty time and on weekends.

Meanwhile, Pabat argues that, under the constitution, the president has to work 24 hours a day and 7 days a week and, therefore, has no time for campaigning.

Admitting that his party, People’s Salvation Army, has initiated this campaign, he promised that the number of lawsuits will snowball by the end of the week.

“I suspect that the court will not uphold my appeal. This, however, will make it possible to prove the court system is corrupt and the president’s office is exerting pressure on courts,” Pabat stressed.

“If the court upholds my appeal, I will demand CEC to cancel Yushchenko’s registration as candidate,” he added.

Comments

15:0929.10.09 What are the ground of the apeal
- Missing from the article is the basis of the court claims.
15:0729.10.09 Ukraine without Yushchenko
- They run the risk of turning him into a martyr.
  
  Yushchenko is a failed president
  
  His support rating is so low and over 85% of Ukrainians have stated that they will not vote for Yushchenko. He will not be re-elected to a second term of office. If he wants to make a complete disgrace of himself and bring the office of the president yet again into disrepute then let him.