KIEV, May 16 (RIA Novosti) – The new Ukrainian president elected on May 25 will serve a five-year term, according to a ruling Friday by the Ukrainian Constitutional Court.
“The Constitutional court of Ukraine notes that the provision of the article 103 of the constitution… that fix the constitutional legal status of Ukrainian president does not include norms that would designate other term of office than five year- term… Regardless of the election nature: general or extraordinary …,” Constitutional Court Chairman Yuri Baulin said.
A five-year term is the “only presidential term defined by the Constitution,” Baulin said.
A number of lawmakers had earlier appealed to the court to clarify the duration of the new president’s term as either a year or 5 years, as elections had been scheduled for next year.
Ukraine saw a regime change in February after the so-called Maidan mass rallies in Kiev. The Ukrainian parliament backed by far-right movements ousted elected President Viktor Yanukovych, amended the country’s constitution and scheduled early elections for May 25.
These moves led to a legal collision over the presidential term, with constitutional provisions saying the next election in the country should be held either in March 2015 or March 2019.
Moscow has cast doubt on the legitimacy of the current Kiev authorities, saying that the legitimacy of the upcoming election will depend on a number of conditions including transparency and the interests of the regions.
