Ukrainian Constitutional Court Head Resigns

Dombrovskyy's resignation comes amid a continuing political standoff (file photo) (epa) May 17, 2007 -- The chairman of Ukraine's Constitutional Court, Ivan Dombrovskyy, has resigned amid deliberations about the country's political standoff.

According to a statement posted on the Constitutional Court's website, the court's deputy chairman, Valeriy Pshenychnyy, will assume Dombrovskyy's duties.

Dombrovskyy's resignation came as the court was considering President Viktor Yushchenko's dissolution of parliament, which has been part of the president's power struggle with Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.

Yanukovych and his allies had asked the court to rule on the legality of Yushchenko's April 2 order to dissolve parliament and call early elections.

Yanukovych and Yushchenko have since reached an agreement in principle to hold early parliamentary elections, but they have yet to agree on a date.

In the past few weeks, Yushchenko has dismissed three Constitutional Court judges on charges of procedural and ethics violations.

(AFP, Interfax, ccu.gov.ua)