Viktor Yanukovych delivers address to Ukrainian people

Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine's legitimate president who had to quit the country, in an address to the Ukrainian people has called for holding a referendum on the status of each region within Ukraine.

“As the president whose thoughts and heart are together with you, I call on each reasonable citizen of Ukraine - don’t let the impostors use you! Demand a referendum on the determination of the status of each region within Ukraine,” Yanukovych said.“As the president whose thoughts and heart are together with you, I call on each reasonable citizen of Ukraine - don’t let the impostors use you! Demand a referendum on the determination of the status of each region within Ukraine,” Yanukovych said in an address to the Ukrainian people, received by ITAR-TASS.

He said “everything that has happened in recent months and is happening in Ukraine is an armed coup that was conducted by the opposition with the use of arms of terrorist groups with full support of some Western states.”

“The impostors have no mandate of confidence of the Ukrainian people, have no right to deprive each Ukrainian citizen of his right to vote, introducing non-constitutional changes to the legislation, including on the presidential election,” Yanukovych stressed.

“The anarchy going on in the streets of our country has nothing in common with democracy,” he is certain. “Let at least any Western state call democratic the steps taken by the current ‘managers.’ I don’t think that anyone from European high-ranking officials would publicly recognize normal the shooting and plunder in the streets of their states when terrorists are called activists who are allowed to rob and kill people with impunity,” Yanukovych noted.

“It’s absolutely logical that the protest that is rising in the South-East of Ukraine is a natural reaction of the densely populated industrial region to an armed coup,” he stated.

Only an all-Ukrainian referendum, but not early presidential elections, can significantly stabilize the situation and preserve Ukraine’s integrity, Yanukovych believes. The anti-constitutional amendments made to the legislation, in particular, on presidential elections in Ukraine, “rule out the chance for fair elections, whenever they are held”, he said.

In addition, Viktor Yanukovych in his address to the Party of Regions congress asked to relive him from duties of honorary chairman of the party and exclude him from it.

Ukraine’s legitimate president Yanukovych has been forced to live Ukraine amid violent uprising last month. The Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has taken over and appointed an interim head of state and approved a new government. Yanukovych, however, maintains that he is still the legitimate president of Ukraine.

The newly-formed authorities announced earlier that Ukraine would be holding early presidential elections on May 25.