On April 1, 2009, the Verkhovna Rada designated October 25, 2009, as the date for the first round of voting. Within a week, President Yushchenko filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court against Verkhovna Rada's October 25 date. The President's appeal argued that his inauguration on January 23, 2005, was the commencement of his five-year term of office and as such the next presidential election must be set for the last Sunday before January 23, 2010, in accordance with Article 103.