KIEV, July 14 – Political standoff between lawmakers left Parliament in a deadlock on Tuesday, increasing speculation that President Viktor Yushchenko may move to dismiss the legislature and call an early parliamentary election this year.

Parliament has been deadlocked for the past two weeks, making it impossible for the government to push through any legislation that would help the economy to tackle severe economic crisis.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and opposition Regions Party leader Viktor Yanukovych tentatively agreed to hold emergency session of Parliament on Tuesday, but these plans had eventually collapsed.

“There will be no session today,” Ihor Sharov, a senior member of the group led by Parliamentary Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn, said after almost 10-hour consultations between political groups.

Tymoshenko allies have been insisting on the session seeking to approve two anti-crisis bills, including recapitalization of troubled commercial banks and increasing spending on Euro-2012 infrastructure projects.

The third bill aimed at amending presidential election law to allow effectively two biggest groups in Parliament, the Tymoshenko Bloc and the Regions Party, to control vote counting at the next presidential election due January 17, 2010.

The presidential election bill was criticized as “non-transparent” by President Viktor Yushchenko and by former Parliamentary Speaker Arseniy Yatseniuk, who is expected to rival Yanukovych and Tymoshenko at the vote.

“Everybody must finally understand that most likely we will have to go for normal and transparent presidential vote,” Yatseniuk said. “No one will be able to steal the presidential seat.”

Meanwhile, the failure to hold the session of Parliament increased speculations that Yushchenko may move to dismiss the legislature, opening way for early parliamentary vote just ahead of the presidential vote.

The president is allowed to dismiss Parliament if lawmakers fail to hold a session for at least 30 days. Parliament was deadlocked for the past two weeks.

“The clock is ticking,” Ihor Popov, deputy chief of staff at the Yushchenko office, said. “If they are ready to come for consultations needed for the dismissal of Parliament, the president will receive them.”

In two weeks, on August 2, Yushchenko may obtain the power to dismiss Parliament if the deadlock in the legislature continues, Popov said.

This, however, must be clarified by the Constitutional Court since the constitution does not let the president dismiss Parliament less than 6 months before his time in office expires.

The next presidential election is due on January 17, 2010, which suggests that inauguration of the next president may be scheduled on February 18, 2010, suggesting that Yushchenko may have the power to dismiss the legislature on August 2, Popov argued.

Serhiy Mishchenko, a Tymoshenko lawmaker, said there was no clear idea whether Yushchenko will have the power to dismiss Parliament on August 2, but he agreed the matter will have to be clarified by the Constitutional Court.

“No one in the country can say when Yushchenko’s authority will expire,” Mishchenko said. “There is no such a date.” (tl/ez)