Ukrainian President Yanukovych agrees to hold early election
Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has agreed to hold a presidential election before the end of the year, as part of a deal to end the crisis, BBC reports He said he had also agreed to a national unity government, and to make constitutional changes reducing the power of the president. The compromise came after hours of talks with the opposition leaders. The opposition has not spoken about the deal and it remains unclear whether protesters will back it. Ukrainian broadcaster ICTV said it had seen a copy of the deal, and it had been signed by all parties. According to the report, the deal contains three main pledges: The 2004 constitution will be restored within 48 hours, and a national unity government will be formed within 10 days. Constitutional reform balancing the powers of president, government and parliament will be started immediately and completed by September. A presidential election will be held after the new constitution is adopted but no later than December 2014.
