KIEV, May 23 ??“ President Viktor Yushchenko on Wednesday questioned legitimacy of the Constitutional Court ahead of its ruling over the presidential decree that had dissolved Parliament and called for early election.

Yushchenko, in a televised address to the nation late night, urged the Prosecutor General??™s Office and the Supreme Court to immediately step in.

???The [Constitutional] Court is paralyzed and demoralized,??? Yushchenko said. ???For almost a year the court has failed to issue any ruling. Let me stress: not even a single one. Moreover, certain judges are suspected of being involved in massive corruption.???

"I am forced to admit that the Constitutional Court is losing its legitimacy and cannot execute its function of protecting the superiority of the constitution," Yushchenko said.

Yushchenko addressed to the nation a day after the Constitutional Court had ruled that the president??™s right to appoint and to dismiss judges was contradicting the constitution.

The ruling, which de-facto backs the pro-Russian government coalition, bans Yushchenko from firing and appointing judges of local courts, effectively suspending the respective law.

The ruling was approved immediately after the coalition had taken over the court earlier this year by promoting loyalists to top positions. The ruling would de-facto increase the coalition??™s control over courts across Ukraine that may help the coalition in its escalating legal battle with the president.

SBU, the security service, has earlier this month suggested that Susanna Stanik, one of the three judges fired by Yushchenko, obtained $12 million worth of property and real estate. This suggests that the corruption may have taken place that would make the court??™s ruling biased, analysts said.

Yushchenko and the coalition are in a deadlock since April 2 when the president had issued a decree dismissing Parliament and calling a new election. The coalition refused to abide the decree and appealed it at the Constitutional Court, which is not expected to issue the riling on the matter.

Yushchenko fired three judges of the court, including Valeriy Pshenychniy, Suzanna Stanik and Volodymyr Ivashchenko. All three have been appointed by then President Leonid Kuchma and now are believed to be loyal to Yanukovych.

But the judges used a controversial overnight ruling by a local court in Luhansk region to suspend Yushchenko??™s decree that had fired them. The judges later joined a meeting at the court to reshuffle the leadership of the court.

The development suggests that the court has been rapidly moving to issue a ruling on Yushchenko??™s decree that had dissolved Parliament. Analysts said the court will probably say that the decree is against the constitution.

Meanwhile, pro-Russian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, Yushchenko??™s rival, said that the Constitutional Court is legitimate and is operational.

???decisions must be implemented,??? Yanukovych said. ???The court is legitimate and is working. This is a constitutional organ.??? (tl/ez)