Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 4
Trend:
Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed a law Feb. 4, which proposes to deprive Viktor Yanukovych the honorary title of president, RIA Novosti news agency reported.
The decision was supported at a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada by 281 MPs with a necessary minimum of 226 votes.
Under the Ukrainian constitution, the title of president is protected by law and kept for life, unless the head of state is removed from office on impeachment. This procedure was not used with respect to Yanukovych.
The Verkhovna Rada by its decision established that Yanukovych kept himself aloof from carrying out the constitutional powers and "does not fulfil his obligations."
An explanatory note of the document read that President Yanukovych by his actions "usurped power and led to undermining of the foundations of the national security and defense of Ukraine", and currently he is wanted.
Yanukovych was elected the president of Ukraine on Feb. 25, 2010.
A coup took place in Ukraine on Feb. 22, 2014. The Verkhovna Rada ousted President Yanukovych, made changes to Ukraine's constitution and scheduled new election for May 25, as a result of which Petro Poroshenko became the new president.
After the coup the new authorities launched a number of criminal cases with regard to the former officials.