Refusal to amend the Constitution threatens the growth of democracy in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has said. "Without amending the Constitution and the law on election we will not be able to dismantle the destructive elements in the organization of the Ukrainian political system and power. The issue is not in democracy, the issue is not in the fact that democracy cannot say how to make a devoted, clear and non-corrupt government. Democracy will find an answer," Yushchenko said in the interview to a group of regional newspapers today, his press service reported. He also expressed doubts that Parliament would support his key proposals to the Constitution.

President Viktor Yushchenko has said it is unlikely that Yuriy Yekhanurov will be reinstated as defence minister as long as Yulia Tymoshenko remains prime minister. He said this addressing students and professors at the Bila Tserkva national agrarian university.

The Constitutional Court of Ukraine has ruled unconstitutional the law on the organization and procedure of parliamentary activity of September 4 2008 and the parliamentary procedure of September 18 2008. In accordance with the court ruling, the law and the procedure became void on the day that the Constitutional Court adopted the ruling. The court ruling is binding on the territory of Ukraine, is final and an appeal cannot be brought against it.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has accused President Viktor Yushchenko of dragging out his decision on the law allocating 1bn hryvnyas to tackle the current flu epidemic in Ukraine. Yushchenko wanted to veto the law to be able to introduce a state of emergency in the country over flu, Tymoshenko said today.

The Ukrainian Parliament today failed to overcome the presidential veto on a bill allocating 1bn hryvnyas for fighting the current flu epidemic. A total of 231 MPs voted to override the veto, with the votes coming from the pro-government Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (152), Our Ukraine People’s Self-Defence Bloc (32), Communist Party (27), Lytvyn Bloc (19) and one unaffiliated MP.

The Party of Regions is highly unlikely to find the necessary 226 votes to adopt a motion of no-confidence in the Cabinet, the Ukraianin business daily Delo reports. Writing in today's edition, Olha Vasylevska says the Party of Regions faction in Parliament has so far collected only 180 signatures to put the issue to a vote.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has urged MPs to overcome the presidential veto on the law allocating 1bn hryvnyas to pay for anti-flu measures at an extraordinary parliamentary sitting on November 26.Speaking in an address to the nation broadcast on state TV channel UT1 on November 24, Tymoshenko said: "I hope that the 400 MPs who voted for this law will confirm their goodwill with their votes."