Ukraine's leading English-language newspaper since 1995

Presidential candidate and Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko President Viktor Yuschenko has criticized Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and the Party of the Regions' leader Viktor Yanukovych, who are both candidates in the next presidential elections, for their unwillingness to submit their draft amendments to the Ukrainian Constitution to the parliament before the presidential elections.

Yuschenko made the criticism while addressing a congress of the Our Ukraine party.

"You will not see Tymoshenko's draft Constitution and her vision of the constitutional order before January 17. The same applies to Yanukovych," Yuschenko said.

He repeated his opinion that the main candidates in the presidential elections should announce their visions of Ukraine's future political system before the elections so that the people can know what awaits them.

There was a small technical problem during Yuschenko's address, with his microphone hissing for a few seconds.

Yuschenko joked that either the Party of the Regions or the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc was responsible for this technical problem.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, Yuschenko has said that the main candidates in the presidential elections should submit their draft amendments to the Ukrainian Constitution before the presidential elections.

According to Yuschenko, the Constitution can be amended between the first and second rounds of the presidential elections based on a compromise among the country's political forces.

In his election program, Yuschenko promises to dissolve the parliament if it refuses to approve amendments to the Constitution if he is elected president.

On August 25, Yuschenko submitted his draft amendments to the Constitution for a public debate that should be held by December 1.

The presidential elections are scheduled for January 17, 2010.