Ukraine's Constitutional Court has ruled that President Leonid Kuchma can run for a third term of office next year

The move sets the stage for a possible new round of street protests by the country's opposition. The court ruled that President Kuchma is eligible to run for another term on what opposition leaders say is a technicality that represents a setback for democracy in the former Soviet republic. Mr. Kuchma was first elected in 1994, and is now serving a second term in office that is due to expire next year. But the Constitutional Court ruled that because the president's first term started before the current constitution was adopted in 1996, he can be elected for another term. The constitution limits presidents to just two terms. Mr. Kuchma has said he does not plan to run in next October's election. But opposition leaders have already denounced what they claim are plans by the longtime leader to prolong his rule at any cost. Last week, opposition parties failed to block a parliamentary move by pro-Kuchma deputies that could do away with direct elections for president altogether. The controversial vote gave preliminary approval for a plan to have the president elected by parliament beginning in 2006. After the court ruling, a lawmaker with the opposition Our Ukraine party denounced the move as reflecting the court's bias in favor of the president.