KIEV, Feb. 24 – Ukraine’s escalating political dysfunction took a destabilizing new turn Tuesday with the call by Leonid Kravhcuk, a former Ukrainian president, for President Viktor Yushchenko to resign to open the way for an early presidential election.

Kravchuk’s statement, made during a live television talk show, underscores the deepening rivalry between Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, whose campaign staff has apparently arranged the statement to be televised.

The developments come as Tymoshenko has apparently also re-opened talks with the opposition Regions Party over creation of the grand coalition that would be able to override Yushchenko’s veto.

The next presidential election is due in January 2010, but the exact date is yet to be approved by Parliament.

The early presidential election would benefit Tymoshenko. Three months ago she has been the favorite politician for the winning the presidency, but the prime minister has been recently losing popularity dramatically in the wake of her government’s failure to tackle severe economic crisis.

“I see only one exit: the early presidential election,” Kravchuk said in the statement on the Shuster Live television talk show. “This is demanded by the majority of people.”

“The real patriotism of the president, Viktor Andriyovych, is to deeply analyze the situation, your own position and to take a responsible decision – to resign,” Kravchuk said. “This move would stop a wave of problems, calm the society and open hopes for the real exit from the crisis.”

Kravchuk, the first Ukrainian president under independence, started his term on Dec. 5, 1991 and finished it on July 19, 1994, after himself agreeing to call an early presidential election, which he lost to long-time political rival Leonid Kuchma, who had been prime minister.

Soon after his defeat, Kravchuk joined the Social Democratic Party (United). The party is led by Viktor Medvedchuk, the alleged mastermind of the sweeping election fraud at the presidential election in 2004. Medvedchuk denied the allegations.

Over the past seven months Tymoshenko has been increasingly cooperating with Medvedchuk, Yushchenko’s main foe, on a number of issues, ranging from talks with Russia over natural gas to amending the constitution, people said.

In his statement, Kravchuk defended the Tymoshenko government and accused Yushchenko of distancing himself from the government’s efforts to tackle the economic crisis.

“It is the easiest thing to put the blame on the government,” Kravchuk said. “As a matter of fact, this is why you, Viktor Andriyovych, are aggravating the situation.”

“But after publicly distancing yourself from the government and from the responsibility for the situation in Ukraine, by doing so you have refused to implement your constitutional obligations,” Kravchuk said.

“I can clearly see that you are paying the main attention not to the problems of Ukraine, but to how to stay in power,” Kravchuk said. “You are even ready to use the international financial crisis for this.”

Tymoshenko’s campaign staff has been arranging Kravchuk’s statement to be televised by Ukrayina television channel, Ukrayinska Pravda online newspaper reported citing people familiar with the situation.

Volodymyr Lytvyn, the speaker of Parliament, said the early presidential election was not likely and would only become possible if political and situation in Ukraine “gets out of control.”

“[Kravchuk’s] statement will lead to another wave of political standoff,” Lytvyn said in an interview with Channel 5 television late Tuesday. “But all the talks are about switching rooms on Titanic rather then of accepting respective decisions.”

“It will depend on how the situation develops. It may get out of control and politicians will be forced to agree to both, early presidential and early parliamentary elections,” he said.

“In this case, there is no guarantee that these elections will be handled in a civilized and democratic way,” Lytvyn said. (tl/ez)