President Viktor Yushchenko told Ukraine's prime minister on Tuesday his decision to dissolve parliament was final and warned his long-time rival against resorting to force.
The pro-Western Yushchenko has been at odds with Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich since reluctantly appointing his Moscow-friendly rival last August, nearly two years after being swept to power by the "Orange Revolution" protests.
The premier had dismissed the decree calling an election for May 27 as a "fatal error" and challenged it in court. "The main issue discussed at the meeting was to ensure strict implementation of the decree on an early election," the president's press service said.
"Viktor Yushchenko, as commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, also stressed he would allow no use of force in the country." Yanukovich told supporters a solution to the dispute would come only through negotiation.
The president said he signed the decree to "preserve the state" after accusing the prime minister of illegally trying to expand his majority in parliament by poaching Yushchenko's allies.
The tough stance adopted by both sides has raised political tensions 2-1/2 years after Yushchenko defeated Yanukovich in the aftermath of the protests, which forced out a political establishment in power for years. There was no visible sign of political tension in central Kiev. The hryvnia currency was stable although Ukraine's sovereign dollar bonds sold off on the news.
About 2,000 of the prime minister's supporters set up a tent camp festooned with banners, a much smaller version of the 2004 gatherings. Small groups took flags into Independence Square, focal point of those upheavals.
"The decree is not just a mistake. It is aimed against the country, the Ukrainian people," Yanukovich told supporters in the camp. "The solution can be found only at the negotiating table, through compromise, not by violating the constitution."
In parliament, where Yanukovich is backed by a three-party coalition, 53 members asked the Constitutional Court to strike down the decree. Yanukovich has vowed both the chamber and his government will continue to function "without impediment".
The immediate prospect was that Yanukovich might refuse to accept the dissolution, tipping the country of 47 million into a constitutional crisis and raising the possibility of clashes in the streets between rival protesters.