New constitution could be passed in September - Poroshenko
KYIV, June 22 (Interfax) - Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that the Ukrainian parliament could pass amendments to the constitution in September 2014, the presidential press service reported.
"The amendments proposed could be passed in their first reading within a few weeks and finally approved as early as September," Poroshenko said in an address to the Ukrainian people, posted on the presidential website on Saturday evening.
Poroshenko reaffirmed his earlier statements that Ukraine is in need of decentralization of authority and that he would delegate part of his powers to the territorial and local governments.
"Local legislative elections will be held on the basis of the new constitution. The local councils will form governments and elect their chairmen," the Ukrainian president said.
Decentralization of authority means that the regions' rights will be expanded in various areas, including in the language policy.
"Local councils in Donbass will have the ample right to freely use the Russian language alongside the national language," Poroshenko said.