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Ukraine parliament does not back Turchynov’s bid to resign from parliament speaker post

Only two lawmakers participate in the voting

© ITAR-TASS/Artem Geodakyan

KIEV, March 25. /ITAR-TASS/. Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, did not back Oleksandr Turchynov’s request for resignation from the post of parliament speaker. Only two lawmakers participated in the voting.

Turchynov put the issue of his resignation for voting himself.

“If someone has claims to me, initiate my resignation. If you do not want this, I will put this issue for voting myself,” the parliament speaker said.

Leader of Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reforms (UDAR), lawmaker Vitali Klitschko stated earlier on Tuesday that he was prepared to initiate Oleksandr Turchynov’s dismissal from the post of parliament speaker. “We see that actions of the defence minister are ineffective. It is needed to hold consultations on this issue within coalition. If this continues this way, we can raise the issue of replacing the Verkhovna Rada speaker,” Klitschko noted.

Before this deputies did not support a resolution on Igor Tenyukh’s resignation from the post of acting defence minister according to his application for resignation. UDAR lawmakers did not participate in the voting. After this Turchynov announced a break to hold consultations with leaders of parliamentary factions. Tenyukh’s resignation was accepted in parliament at the second attempt and Colonel General Mikhailo Koval was appointed as acting defense minister.

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