Ukraine President Calls Early Election for October 26

Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko has dissolved parliament and announced snap elections for 26 October.

In a televised address late on Monday, he said many Urainian lawmakers supported ousted President Viktor Yanukovych and blocked reform which made it necessary to cleanse parliament.

According to Proshenko, the composition of Parliament doesn't represent the political leanings of Ukrainian society.

He also said the dissolution of the Verkhovna Rada was "in line with the expectations of the vast majority of the citizens of Ukraine".

The current parliament will be working until voters choose new lawmakers. Ratification of Ukraine-EU trade agreement will be the most important part of business, Poroshenko added.

In July, Ukraine's governing coalition collapsed, requiring the president to call fresh elections if a new coalition could not be formed.

Proshenko’s move came as he prepared to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a regional economic summit in Minsk, capital of Belarus on Tuesday. The summit will also include European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

Poroshenko and Putin last met at the D-Day commemorations in France in June. Hopes, however, are slim that their meeting in Minsk will bring about any major decrease in tensions between Kiev and Moscow as Ukraine government troops continue their campaign against pro-Russian rebels in the country’s eastern regions.

Heavy fighting was reported in and around the city of Donetsk on Monday which together with the city of Luhansk  has been a stronghold of pro-Russian separatists battling Ukrainian forces since April.

Also on Monday, Ukraine accused Russia of sending soldiers across the border to open a new front. Russia dismissed the charge, describing it as yet another salvo in a misinformation campaign.

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