adminKIEV. — Ukraine’s parliament has put off plans to vote on the formation of a national unity government until tomorrow to allow consultations to continue. “The vote on the national unity government should be on Thursday (tomorrow),” Oleksander Turchinov, the speaker of the assembly and the acting president, told the chamber yesterday.
The vote had been expected to take place during yesterday’s session; Turchinov had told members of parliament at the weekend that they had until yesterday to form a new cabinet and appoint a new prime minister.
The announcement comes as the parliament also called on the International Criminal Court in the Hague to prosecute ousted president Viktor Yanukovych over the “mass murder” of protesters in Kiev. “We appeal to the International Criminal Court . . . to bring to justice Viktor Yanukovych and other high-ranking figures who gave and carried out criminal orders,” the parliament said in a statement.
Politicians have been trying to stabilise the country after the disappearance of Yanukovich and months of violence.
A presidential election campaign has already started with opposition leader Vitaly Klitschko announcing on Tuesday that he is running for president.
The Ukrainian Central Election Commission posted an election calendar online early on Tuesday, giving candidates until April 4 to register. Elections are due to be held on May 25.
Yanukovich’s whereabouts remain unknown after he left the capital Kiev at the weekend. Ukrainian authorities were issuing an arrest warrant for him over his alleged role in the killing of protesters by security forces.
Meanwhile, Russia’s top diplomat said yesterday that Moscow will not interfere with affairs in Ukraine. — Al Jazeera/RIA Novosti.
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