Protests at Ukraine president's office

By NATASHA LISOVA, Associated Press Writer
Wed Apr 4, 4:15 PM ET

KIEV, Ukraine - Thousands of supporters of Ukraine's Russian-leaning prime minister marched to the gates of the pro-Western president's office on Wednesday, vowing not to back down in a standoff between the two leaders
Dozens of supporters of President Viktor Yushchenko tried to stop more than 7,000 supporters of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych from coming closer to the presidential office. Police in riot gear separated the sides.

The battle between the premier and the president is the most serious political crisis since the 2004 Orange Revolution mass protests that propelled Yushchenko to the presidency over Yanukovych.

This time, though, the prime minister's partisans have seized the initiative on the streets — setting up a tent camp, erecting a stage on the capital's main square and rallying outside the president's office. The defiant Yanukovych vowed that before a court ruling he would not even consider Yushchenko's order dissolving a parliament increasingly aligned with the prime minister and replacing it in a May 27 election.

The United States and Russia have appealed for calm in this nation of 47 million, which is caught between historic ties to Russia and aspirations of moving closer to Europe. Both Yushchenko and Yanukovych have spent the past two days holding separate meetings with foreign ambassadors in a bid to win their support.

"We are inclined to have a long-term standoff. We have enough forces for it," said Transport Minister Mykola Rudkovsky, who led the march to Yushchenko's office. "The president must understand this."

The dispute arose after 11 lawmakers joined Yanukovych's ruling coalition last month, moving it closer to a 300-seat, supermajority in parliament that would be veto-proof and could allow his allies to change the constitution.

Yushchenko called the defections "a revision of the voters' will," and illegal, saying the law permits only blocs, not individual lawmakers, to switch sides. His Monday night order dissolving the legislature and calling new elections launched the crisis, during which tens of thousands of Yanukovych supporters have turned out for around-the-clock protests.

They took over Kiev's Independence Square, forcing police to reroute traffic down one of the city's main arteries. Elderly people wearing red scarves in support of Yanukovych's coalition partner, the Communists, danced while younger supporters sat on the edge of fountains and lounged on nearby grass. Yanukovych's allies also have a tent camp near parliament.

"It is better to protest once than to suffer later," said Mykola Azero, who traveled from Yanukovych's eastern hometown of Donetsk to support the premier.

Yushchenko's backers have kept a comparatively low profile — apparently to avoid the possibility of clashes, but perhaps also reflecting widespread disappointment in Yushchenko's failure to work massive reforms in the ex-Soviet state.

The two politicians differ over whether Ukraine should join NATO or more closely tie its fate to Russia. But much of their recent wrangling has been widely viewed as efforts by their financial backers and behind-the-scene power-brokers seeking to protect business interests.

Yanukovych has said that he would only decide whether to abide by Yushchenko's order after the Constitutional Court rules.

Court spokesman Ivan Avramov said the court has 15 days to render a preliminary decision on whether to accept the case, then a six-judge panel makes a final decision on whether to take the case. That panel faces no time limit.

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Associated Press writers Mara D. Bellaby and Yuras Karmanau contributed to this report.
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