Ukraine MPs endorse motion to dissolve Crimea assembly
Iran Press TV
Sat Mar 15, 2014 6:38PM GMT
The Ukrainian Parliament, Verkhovna Rada, has voted to dissolve the regional assembly representing the autonomous region of Crimea over its refusal to call off the secession referendum.
A total of 278 out of 296 lawmakers endorsed a motion to axe the political authority that represents Crimea in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, with the ruling going into effect immediately.
Crimea is due to hold a referendum on Sunday to decide whether the strategic region prefers to stay part of Ukraine or join the Russian Federation.
This is while Ukraine's highest court said on Friday that Crimea's decision to hold the secession vote was unconstitutional.
But Russia believes the Crimean peninsula, which houses a large Russian ethnic majority, enjoys legal rights to secede.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in a phone conversation that the upcoming referendum in Crimea is in line with the UN Charter.
Tensions have been running high in Ukraine since ousted president, Viktor Yanukovych, left the country on February 22, following violent clashes between police and pro-Western protesters in Kiev, which were fueled by messages of support from the US and certain EU governments
Pro-Western activists launched their protests in November after Yanukovych decided to reject a deal with the European Union in favor of closer ties with the Russian Federation.
MOL/AB/SS
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