The Ukrainian parliament has overwhelmingly voted for a presidential election October 25th, in a move that President Viktor Yushchenko says he will challenge as unconstitutional.
A parliamentary resolution setting a date earlier than expected won the backing of 401 deputies in the 450-member parliament. The legislative body and its leader, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, have grown increasingly hostile to the Yushchenko presidency over the past two years.
Analysts say the vote Wednesday was a maneuver to prevent the president from dissolving the chamber, which is illegal in the last six months of his mandate.
A short while after the vote, the deputy head of Mr. Yushchenko's administration, Maryna Stavniychuk, said the president would appeal to the country's Constitutional Court.
No one has yet announced plans to contest the election.
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