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	OPPOSITION BLOC LEADS RALLY IN KYIV AGAINST PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE UKRAINIAN CONSTITUTION
	By Vlad Lavrov, Journalist The Action Ukraine Report (AUR) Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, April 8, 2004 KYIV- Around 2-3 thousand people. representing the Viktor Yushchenko bloc 'Our Ukraine' and the Yuliya Tymoshenko bloc, picketed the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) in Kyiv on Thursday, April 8, 2004 to protest the proposed amendments to the Constitution which were scheduled to be voted on later today. The proposed amendments to the Constitution, authored by the head of Presidential Administration Viktor Medvedchuk and the leader of the Communist Party of Ukraine Petro Symonenko and supported by the pro-presidential majority, the Communists and the Socialist Party of Ukraine, would transfer powers of the president to the prime-minister, who would be nominated by the parliamentary majority, thus making the president a representative figure with limited authority. "No to Kuchma's Regime," a banner at the Rally ArtUkraine.com photo (Click on images to enlarge them) It is widely believed that the above amendments are aimed at preventing Viktor Yushchenko, who is widely considered the most likely winner of the October 31 presidential elections, from having any real powers in case he is elected president and thus endangering the positions of those currently in power. During a break in the Rada debates on the amendments, which were broadcast live to the people in front of the parliament, several members of 'Our Ukraine' and the Yuliya Tymoshenko bloc including Volodymyr Yavorivsky, Volodymyr Filenko, Mykola Katerynchuk, Oleksandr Turchynov, and Pavlo Movchan addressed the picketers. They thanked the people for their support and informed them about the intimidation that was being exerted Thursday night on the various deputies [members of Parliament] who they were called to the Presidential Administration and threatened with criminal persecution in case they do not vote in favor of the amendments. In several of the deputies' speeches were the suggestions that the vote is taking place during the Holy Week from which they drew parallels between the betrayal of Judas and the Socialists' decision to support the reform. The deputies also called on the protesters for a nation-wide strike in case the amendments do take place. Viktor Yushchenko, Yuliya Tymoshenko, Borys Tarasiuk and Petro Poroshenko later came out of the parliament's building to meet with the protesters to answer questions about the situation that was taking place in the parliament on the day of the vote on the constitutional amendments. According to the "Address of Viktor Yushchenko to Every Ukrainian" that was distributed among the protesters, "The Ukrainian People have only one hope left to return Ukraine from totalitarian direction to the democratic way of development. This is the elections of 2004. Those in power today know about this. That is why they have initiated the changes to the Constitution, the essence of which is to turn Ukraine into a totalitarian country ruled by the prime-minister. This is a straight way to a criminal dictatorship!" The vote on the amendments to the Constitution with a clause that they would go into effect on the day the newly elected president assumes office took place at 6.30 PM Kyiv time. 294 deputees, out of 300 needed, voted in favor of it, so the amendments were rejected.   Viktor Yushchenko ArtUkraine.com photo Yuliya Tymoshenko ArtUkraine.com photo FOR PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC USE ONLY

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