Ukraine parliament weighs major govt overhaul

Ukraine's parliament was weighing Tuesday whether to approve the resignation of embattled Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk as furious backroom talks raged about the makeup of a new pro-EU government, reports AFP.
The volatile political situation in the former Soviet republic took a new twist when the man tipped to replace Yatsenyuk -- condemned by President Petro Poroshenko for losing the public's trust -- appeared to balk at his new assignment.
Yatsenyuk's days had seemed numbered since he survived a no-confidence vote last month that fractured the pro-Western coalition formed after a February 2014 revolution forced the ouster of Moscow-backed president Viktor Yanukovych.
The 41-year-old premier joined the protests and made passionate pro-EU speeches during those turbulent days that changed the course of the country.
But his party's approval ratings have slipped to around two percent due to a sense that he done little to overcome corruption or break the stranglehold on politics enjoyed by a handful of tycoons during Yanukovych's four years in office.
Yatsenyuk announced on Sunday he was quitting the post he had held since February 2014 -- a 26-month span during which the economy imploded and a pro-Russian insurgency that has claimed nearly 9,200 lives broke out in the separatist east.
Poroshenko's party had nominated parliament speaker Volodymyr Groysman to the premiership after deciding that the man known as a coalition-builder could win broad support.

 

Ukraine parliament weighs major govt overhaul

Ukraines parliament was weighing Tuesday whether to approve the resignation of embattled Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk as furious backroom talks raged about the makeup of a new pro-EU government, reports AFP. The volatile political situation in the former Soviet republic took a new twist when the man tipped to replace Yatsenyuk -- condemned by President Petro Poroshenko for losing the publics trust -- appeared to balk at his new assignment. Yatsenyuks days had seemed numbered since he survived a no-confidence vote last month that fractured the pro-Western coalition formed after a February 2014 revolution forced the ouster of Moscow-backed president Viktor Yanukovych. The 41-year-old premier joined the protests and made passionate pro-EU speeches during those turbulent days that changed the course of the country. But his partys approval ratings have slipped to around two percent due to a sense that he done little to overcome corruption or break the stranglehold on politics enjoyed by a handful of tycoons during Yanukovychs four years in office. Yatsenyuk announced on Sunday he was quitting the post he had held since February 2014 -- a 26-month span during which the economy imploded and a pro-Russian insurgency that has claimed nearly 9,200 lives broke out in the separatist east. Poroshenkos party had nominated parliament speaker Volodymyr Groysman to the premiership after deciding that the man known as a coalition-builder could win broad support.