The West-leaning Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, which holds 125 seats in the 450-seat legislature, is now in opposition to a new parliamentary coalition led by Viktor Yanukovych, head of the pro-Russia Party of Regions, after the "orange" coalition that it led collapsed earlier this month.
"Deputies elected from the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc declare they are ready to leave parliament because they realize the threat of the communist and oligarchic circles returning to power in Ukraine and therefore seek to provide the president with an additional constitutional opportunity to call early elections to the Supreme Rada," Tymoshenko told at an open session of her eponymous bloc.
Under the Ukrainian Constitution, parliament becomes illegitimate if one third of its 450 members resign.
Ex-prime minister and the 2004 "orange" revolution princess, Tymoshenko said 124 signatures were not enough to disband parliament and urged the Our Ukraine party of her revolution ally, President Viktor Yushchenko, to follow suit and paralyze the current coalition.
One of the Tymoshenko Bloc members, Inga Vershinina, refused to sign the resignation statement but said she would do it after the document was amended.
Tymoshenko walked out of parliament last week in protest against the new coalition. If Our Ukraine joins the 125 deputies of the Tymoshenko Bloc making it at least 151 lawmakers, the parliament will become invalid, and the president will have to call fresh elections.
Under the law, if parliament fails to form new government by July 25 - 60 days after the current assembly's first session - Yushchenko must disband parliament and call a new election.
