KIEV, March 12, /ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine’s Higher Administrative Court has started proceedings under a lawsuit that questions the legality of the parliament’s decision to appoint Alexander Turchinov acting president of Ukraine.
In early March, Donetsk lawyer Vladimir Olentsevich filed the lawsuit challenging the parliament’s decision made at the time when legitimately elected President Viktor Yanukovich was still in power. Yanukovich’s powers were not terminated ahead of time and he had not resigned.
The court will examine the case on March 19.
On February 22, the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) adopted a resolution saying that Yanukovich had failed to perform his constitutional duties and appointed early presidential elections for May 25.
In 2011, in reply to Olentsevich’s lawsuit, the Higher Administrative Court overruled former President Viktor Yushchenko’s decrees that granted the title of Hero of Ukraine to nationalist leaders Roman Shukhevich and Stepan Bandera.