Ukrainian PM's resignation accepted by the Parliament
The resignation of Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk of Ukraine was accepted by the Ukrainian parliament. Speaker Volodymyr Groysman was appointed the new head of the government. The decision was supported by 257 votes in support (226-vote was the minimum requirement). Inability to deal with corruption and failure to make the government institutions function smoothly became the reason for Yatsenyuk's diminishing support.
Ukraine is an eastern European nation which was a part of the Soviet Union and gained independence in 1991 after the collapse of USSR. Ukraine is the second largest European nation with an area about 1/5th of India and population of 44.9 million. Ukraine is currently engulfed in an internal political and financial crisis due to rising debts and poor financial security.
The current crisis in Ukraine goes back to November 2013 when under severe economic crisis, Ukraine's President Yanukovych was negotiating a deal for Ukraine's entry into the European Union. Russia, which considered its interest being threatened by Ukraine's western tilt, offered an economic package, which Yanukovych accepted instead of EU accession. The move resulted in violent protests which forced Ukraine into a civil war.
After a referendum in the Crimean peninsula, Russia annexed Crimea, which escalated the tensions between Russia and the West to a level not seen since Cold War. Sanctions were imposed on Russia and the eastern pro-Russian Ukrainian parts of Donetsk and Luhansk faced a conflict on interest with Kiev. This led to a war between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists.
After the elections, a coalition government led by Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk was formed in Ukraine. The government had to face major economic and political challenges since the beginning. While the economy had been in shambles with plummeting foreign reserves and mounting debt due to prolonged unrest and wars, the pro-Russian eastern areas posed threats of disintegration of Ukraine due to repeated cease-fire violations.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had said that the Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk should step down as he had lost the support of the coalition. PM Yatsenyuk's government had been criticised for the slow pace of reforms leading to frequent protests in the country against the government. On the other hand, the West had expressed concerns over frequent resignations of reform figures in the government.
Ukraine's economy is in recession, with the economy contracting 7% in 2014 and 12% in 2015. Even the latest part of the IMF's loan to Ukraine could not be released as economic reforms remain unimplemented.
Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk's government in Ukraine survived the no-confidence vote putting to rest concerns of a snap poll in the country. The government is already facing serious allegations of corruption which is derailing the Western aid programme to Ukraine's ailing economy. The opposition managed 194 votes out of 339, 32 short of 226 required for toppling the government.
The decline of the no-confidence motion has laid rest to speculations of fall of the government until the next session in Sept'16. However, it has made the uneasy relationship between the President and the Prime Minister even more complicated. Although the government has remained intact, the challenges in front of it are exacerbated by growing instability within the ruling coalition.
Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk tendered his resignation, accusing the president's party of plunging the war-scarred country into an "artificially created" crisis. He signaled that his political allies would back Volodymyr Groysman as the new Prime Minister. He added that his party was keen to stabilise the country by joining a new ruling coalition. Political observers said a new government could lack political support.
Ukraine prepared to usher in a stable new pro-western government following the resignation of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk over public anger on alleged government graft. The Ukrainian Parliament is to decide whether to accept Yatsenyuk's resignation at what is expected to be a marathon session. Yatsenyuk's party members stated that there were "more than enough votes" needed to accept the premier's resignation.
