KIEV, Aug. 15 – Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych on Wednesday unexpectedly called for the holding of an emergency session of Parliament ahead of the Sept. 30 election.

Yanukovych suggested holding the session to approve legislation that would strip immunity from nearly all Ukraine’s political figures, including the president, government officials, judges and lawmakers.

“Let’s appeal to the president and make a historical event at the beginning of September,” Yanukovych said in front of television cameras while opening a Cabinet meeting.

“Let’s get all the lawmakers together and vote to cancel immunity from all officials, from the president, the prime minister, members of the government, Parliament and judges,” he said. “Let’s strip them of immunity and make them all even before the law.”

The comment, aimed at electorate ahead of the vote, was a response to calls from President Viktor Yushchenko five days ago to strip lawmakers of immunity and to stop 500 million hryvnias in annual perks for MPs.

By suggesting approving the legislation now, Yanukovych hijacks the idea from Our Ukraine, Yushchenko’s party, which has made the issue of immunity the No. 1 campaign issue for the election.

But the plan for holding the emergency session ahead of the vote is extremely controversial and would challenge the president, who had declared that Parliament had lost its capability following the dismissal earlier this year.

Parliament Speaker Oleksandr Moroz, the leader of the Socialist Party, who heavily opposes the early election, has been pushing hard for the emergency session as a tool for canceling or postponing the vote.

Opposition groups, including Our Ukraine-People’s Self-defense and the group led by former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko quickly rejected the proposal as a PR move.

“The Yanukovych proposal for holding the emergency session of Parliament triggers an iron smile,” the group led by former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said in a statement. “There is no more Parliament of the fifth convocation.”

Yuriy Lutsenko, the leader of Our Ukraine-People’s Self-defense, said Yanukovych controlled majority in Parliament for the past 378 days and had never backed the issue of lifting the immunity.

“We’re not going to give him this chance during the next 46 days ahead of the vote,” Lutsenko said. “If he really wants to lift the immunity, let him come in October and December to support our bill.”

But Oleksandr Lavrynovych, the justice minister and a close ally of Yanukovych, said the proposal was a political move apparently aimed at uncovering the opposition.

“This [proposal] is an act of political will that parties pledge that this way will be covered for sure and quickly,” Lavrynovych said. “But if not, it will get clear who has rejected resolving this issue. Who only wanted to declare things but wanted nothing to be done.” (nr/ez)