KIEV, April 4 – President Viktor Yushchenko on Friday suggested holding simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections later this year as a way of resolving the latest political deadlock in Ukraine.

As part of the plan, Yushchenko suggested amending parliamentary election legislation to enable candidates compete for seats within party lists, and canceling immunity from prosecution currently enjoyed by lawmakers.

“I am ready to take decision to go for the early presidential election,” Yushchenko told reporters while visiting the Khmelnytskiy region.

Yushchenko, who scored almost 52% of the vote in dramatic presidential election in December 2004, saw his popularity dropping to single digits this year, making it extremely difficult to win the re-election.

But the plan to hold simultaneous elections also puts pressure on Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Yushchenko’s political rival, whose popularity has been falling sharply over the past several months.

Tymoshenko quickly rejected Yushchenko’s plan.

But Viktor Yanukovych, the leader of the opposition Regions Party and a former prime minister who Yushchenko had defeated in 2004, praised the plan as a “courageous step.”

“Whatever they say about the president, he has made a courageous step,” Yanukovych said in remarks carried by Inter television on Friday. “We accept this. We have to urgently hold consultations and to define the date of the elections.”

The developments come after Parliament had overwhelmingly voted last week to set the date for the next presidential election on October 25, about three months earlier than had been required by the constitution.

Yushchenko pledged to appeal the vote in the Constitutional Court, but his latest initiative may be suggestive that he may accept it and seeks to schedule the early parliamentary election on the same date.

“I think that the president believes that the date of October 25 for the [presidential] election is early, and tries to set the early parliamentary election on the same date,” Parliamentary Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn said Friday.

Although Yushchenko’s chances to win the re-election to the presidency are slim, some analysts believe his party, Our Ukraine, would be able to score between 5% and 7% of the vote and would make it to Parliament.

In this case, Yushchenko would be able to make it to Parliament too, suggesting that he – and his Our Ukraine group - may become important power brokers in a fractured Parliament.

Meanwhile, Tymoshenko remains the only major political figure that has so far opposed the Yushchneko plan. Tymoshenko’s own popularity, eroded by severe economic crisis and controversial policy initiatives, has been falling sharpluy over the past four months and the early parliamentary election could oust her from the post of the prime minister.

“Let’s not mislead the society, when the presidential election date has been set, and everybody is happy about it, it’s impossible by constitution to hold the early parliamentary election,” Tymoshenko told the Shuster Live television talk show Friday.

“Imagine just when everyone must be holding their seats to react to challenges of the crisis, all lawmakers, all ministers and all politicians go to a frontline, and it’s unknown whether they will be back,” Tymoshenko said.

Tymoshenko also insisted that the next presidential election must be held October 25.

“What early election? There is only enough time to hold a scheduled presidential election,” Tymoshenko said. “When do you want to hold it? Tomorrow? You can’t, according to constitution.”

But Yanukovych, whose Regions Party controls the largest group in Parliament, said the elections can and must be held sooner then October 25.

“One should not drag through October 25. We won’t be stronger, only weaker. If the president agrees to [the early election], it doesn’t matter if this will be on October 25, August 25 or July [25],” Yanukovych said.

Yanukovych also sent a warning to Tymoshenko.

“Those to hold on by the seats will be taken away with the seats by the Ukrainian people,” he said. (tl/ez)