Allegations that the government decided to deny President Viktor Yushchenko the right to issue orders to ministers appeared in Ukrainian media Wednesday.
"We have brought the Cabinet's acts into compliance with the Constitution, and have imposed no restrictions," said First Deputy Cabinet Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych. "The president's powers were limited January 1 when constitutional reforms came into force."
He said Cabinet ministers were set to bring provisional regulations of the Cabinet's work into line with constitutional amendments, which deprived the president of the right to annul government decision and issue orders.
A constitutional reform in Ukraine changed the balance between the legislative and executive branches of government and their relation to the president, who lost some of his authority.
Under the provisional regulations, the president cannot abolish government decisions, but can only suspend them and demand that they be annulled in court.
