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Ukraine’s parliament speaker does not rule out president might dissolve legislature

KIEV, January 31, /ITAR-TASS/. Speaker of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, or parliament, Vladimir Rybak said on Friday he did not rule out the dissolution of the national legislature.

“I do not rule out such option,” he told journalists. “President Viktor Yanukovich said that is the parliament continued taking breaks and did not pass laws the country badly needed, he would have to appeal to the people and sign a decree dissolving the parliament.”

He also said that Ukraine’s constitution may be amended not earlier than this autumn. “A minimal time limit for introducing such amendments is two sessions,” he told journalists. “So, it will be possible to amend the constitution in 2014.”

To do that, he noted, a move to this effect was to be initiated at the next session that was due to begin on February 4. “After that, we will be able to introduce amendments during the next session in the autumn,” if such amendments would not require a referendum, he said.

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