Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has said that it is necessary to change the country's constitution but failed to indicate precisely what changes he has in mind. During an address to the nation marking Constitution Day on June 28, Yanukovych said that constitutional amendments adopted during the Orange Revolution in late 2004, which shifted powers from the presidency to the Ukrainian Parliament and government, had led to a "serious crisis of power". Yanukovych insisted that the changes should not be turned into a "political action" and should be based on "social consensus". The following is an excerpt from Yanukovych's address on June 28:

Dear compatriots. I greet you on the state holiday - the Day of the Constitution of Ukraine. Today it is 14 years since our country obtained a document that is of fundamental importance for its modern state-building….

In its key principles, the Constitution of Ukraine adopted in 1996 has stood the test of time. In the section defining the rights and freedoms of individuals, it is considered one of the most progressive in the world. However, the experience of state-building over the years that have passed since the basic law was adopted demonstrates that in today's dynamic historical conditions, the Constitution of Ukraine requires certain changes. Certain of its standards, in particular those hurriedly adopted at the end of 2004, have turned into a cause of imbalance and of a serious crisis of power and, therefore, the subject of justified criticism within the country and from the international community.

At the same time, I would like to underline that the correction of the existing imperfections, the process of perfecting the constitution, should in no way be turned into a political action. This is a serious change in social relations that should be based on the will of the people and should correspond to contemporary reality and determine the progress of the state as a whole. Changes to the constitution should be based on the principle of social consensus, the unification of political and civil forces around the idea of the country's development, the removal of factors of tension in the state.

Today, marking the Day of the Constitution of Ukraine, I call on Ukrainian society to unify for the sake of the unconditional fulfillment of the principles of the basic law, the guarantee of the rights and freedoms of the individual and of citizens of our country. We should remember that only our joint consolidated efforts will enable the state to flourish and the people to be united.

Once again I greet all compatriots on the Day of the Constitution of Ukraine. I wish you harmony, peace and good. May the observation of constitutional standards, the unswerving protection of rights and freedoms enable the successful development of the Ukrainian state and the confirmation of humanism and the rule of law in our land.