Kyiv's claims to suspend Crimean referendum have no legal implications - Crimean parliament
The legal department of the secretariat of the Supreme Council of Crimea has said that the statement by Ukrainian Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov to suspend the Crimean Parliament's decision to hold a referendum will have no legal implications, a spokesperson for the autonomous republic's parliament said on Friday.
On March 6 media outlets and the online-based representation of the Ukrainian acting president published Turchynov's address to the nation over the situation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (ARC), which said that the Supreme Council of Crimea made an illegal decision to hold a Crimean referendum on the question: "Are you in favor of Crimea becoming part of the Russian Federation?" According to the Ukrainian acting president, this decision is illegitimate and void. Due to this Turchynov stated that he suspended the Crimean Supreme Council's decision in accordance with the powers vested in him.
"We explain that under part two of Article 137 of the Ukrainian Constitution, the Ukrainian president may suspend the legal acts passed by the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea on the basis of their inconsistency with the Ukrainian laws by asking the Ukrainian Constitutional Court to rule on their constitutionality," the legal department said.
"Since no such decree by the Ukrainian acting president has until now been duly issued and unveiled, and no constitutional filing regarding the constitutionality of the ARC Supreme Council's resolution of March 6, 2014, "On holding the Crimean referendum" has been submitted to the Constitutional Court, the statements by Ukrainian Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov are worthless and have no legal implications," the legal department of the Crimean parliament secretariat said in its explanations.
