Ukraine PM resigns, parliament coalition dissolves

KIEV, Ukraine – Ukraine‘s ruling parliamentary majority was officially disbanded on Thursday, setting the stage for early legislative elections in the strife-torn ex-Soviet state.

Speaker Oleksandr Turchynov announced the formal dissolution of the European Choice coalition in Ukraine‘s Verkhovna Rada in a move that gives President Petro Poroshenko the right over the next month to announce a fresh parliamentary poll.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Thursday resigned in protest at the disbanding of the ruling parliamentary coalition.

“I announce my resignation in connection with the dissolution of the parliamentary coalition and the blocking of government initiatives,” a furious Yatsenyuk told parliament after several parties withdrew from the majority European Choice coalition in anticipation of early parliamentary polls.

Early vote

The announcement was triggered by the withdrawal of several parties — including the pro-European Udar party of former boxing champion Vitali Klitschko and the Fatherland group of ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko — in anticipation of an early vote.

Early parliamentary elections in Ukraine have been expected since the February ouster of Kremlin-backed leader Viktor Yanukovych following months of deadly protests. The country was previously due to hold a vote only in 2017.

Poroshenko — who was elected in May after constitutional changes handed more powers to parliament — said that the deputies were recognising a groundswell of popular opinion that a new set of lawmakers should be chosen.

“All public opinion polls, as well as direct contact with people, shows that the public wants a complete overhaul of those in power,” Poroshenko said in a statement.

He pledged though that the possibility of upcoming elections would not paralyse the work of parliament at a time when Kiev is struggling to end a bloody separatist insurrection tearing apart the east of the country.  – Rappler.com