President's television address

Dear fellow citizens,

It is my duty to address you in response to an attempt by the parliamentary coalition to aggravate the situation in our country. They are going to convene an illegalsession of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine tomorrow, on 4 September.

I am convinced we will have enough wisdom to survive the tricks done by the cunning fellows you all know. However, there are a few reasons why I cannot watch this comedy in silence.

An obstinate desire to derail elections lurks in these provocations. It is caused by the fear to lose power and personal place in this hierarchy. As we see, someone cannot learn lessons. Someone fails to understand again and again that one must not break the law and breach public agreements.

The country has changed. The country no longer wants to tolerate these intrigues. The people do not want to have any business with those politicians who always deceive them behind their backs.

I want to make it clear that, according to the constitution, the Verkhovna Rada of the fifth convocation has no authority. Any decision passed by this parliament is illegitimate and has no practical force and no political effect.

The actions of those members of parliament who will break the law will later be investigated. I am convinced that the people will also condemn them.

When parliament has no authority, its membershave the right to meet. This is their own business.However, they cannot just meet one another after a holiday. They again want to use the law to their advantage.

This is a trick. They think: “Let’s use the thoughts of others to show how much we care for the voters.” I wonder where you all were earlier, misters. This is a game. “Let’s produce decisions so that the people couldsee we work.”

Here are the results of this work. 39 pseudo-laws have been passed in the illegitimate Verkhovna Rada since June 1 but none of them works. Each of them is illegitimate. Each of them is an ordinary trick but deals with very sensitive issues, like state purchases or land relations.

These examples do not just show the effectiveness and morality of the people’s representatives. They have a fixed price – millions of hryvnyas from the budget which are spent in vain. This is how much you pay for the propaganda of politicians.

I want tosay calmly and firmly: esteemed deputies, calm down, do not abuse the people’s patience, do not make the Verkhovna Rada a circus, a laughing-stock.

The life of the country is in the walls of the Ukrainian parliament but parliament is not a laboratory for your experiments and not a battlefield for tilting at windmills.

I want each of you to hear, especially the prime minister and leader of the parliamentary coalition, Viktor Yanukovych. The intention to hold the session on September 4 will have no effect.

I am looking ahead. The country is moving forward. After the September 30 election we will start adopting urgent laws in a legitimate manner. We will do it in a legitimate parliament, with no shams, shows and noise. We will repeal legislative immunity in such a way. We will pass next year’s budget in such a way. We will pass social laws to raise salaries, pensions, stipends and increase social aid in such a way.

I want politicians to start working eventually. I feel this is also your demand.

I have said everything. We will have the election on September 30. I refuse to pay attention to the fuss of these gamblers. The people will make their choice calmly and with confidence. We have become different.

Thank you for your attention.