The Kharkiv Regional Council will not make illegal decisions on holding a referendum on the issues of the federal structure of Ukraine and the state language.

"The deputy corps of the Kharkiv Regional Council cannot include issues on the session agenda or make decisions that contradict current legislation," says a statement published on the official website of the Kharkiv Regional Council.

The document notes that a number of public organizations have addressed the regional council with a memorandum in which they demand the convening of an extraordinary session, which should call a referendum in the region on issues of federal structure and state language.

"However, the proposed issues can be the subject of consideration exclusively of an all-Ukrainian referendum, which, in accordance with Article 72 of the Constitution of Ukraine, is appointed by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine or the President of Ukraine. In addition, the Law of Ukraine "On the All-Ukrainian and Local Referendum" lost its force on November 28, 2012," the statement emphasizes.

The document also notes that the issue of the federal structure of the country requires serious preparatory work by legal experts and the broadest public discussion.

"Any attempts to speculate on this problem, such as the "evening referendum" scheduled for March 16 in Kharkov, in the current extremely unstable political situation may have unpredictable legal and social consequences," the statement says.

As reported, on March 8, at a pro-Russian rally on Freedom Square in Kharkov, an intention to hold a referendum on the issue of federalization on March 16 was announced.

On Wednesday, March 12, at a press conference, the chairman of the coordinating council of Russian organizations in the East of Ukraine, Gennady Makarov, and the head of the "Honor and Dignity" foundation, Igor Massalov, confirmed their intention to hold a referendum, and also announced their intention to present a "people's governor of the Kharkiv region" at the meeting.

The Kharkiv City Council announced its intention to file a lawsuit to restrict the right of citizens to hold mass events in Kharkiv this coming weekend "in order to prevent mass riots or crimes, to protect the rights and freedoms of citizens, to prevent manipulation of public opinion aimed at violating the territorial integrity of the country, given the tense socio-political situation in Ukraine."

Kharkiv Regional Council will not make illegal decisions on referendum