KIEV, March 6. /TASS/. Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk on Sunday called on lawmakers to drop political disputes and restore the ruling coalition in Verkhovna Rada (parliament).
"I call to restore stability of the Ukrainian pro-European parliamentary coalition and to give the government a possibility to go on working and bear responsibility before the nation," Yetsenyuk said in his traditional weekly televised address.
He said last week he asked his political opponents to present an alternative plan and an alternative team to carry out reforms. "It was not done. So, if someone has a better program, a better team and coalition, please show them to the people of Ukraine," he said.
He said his government’s program centered round creation of new jobs, extermination of poverty, economic growth and continuation of the reforms launched a year ago.
On February 16, Ukraine’s parliament recognized the work of the Yatsenyuk government as unsatisfactory but failed to send it to resignation. A no-confidence vote was supported by 194 lawmakers whereas at least 226 votes are needed to pass a resolution. Following the abortive voting, the Batkivshchina (Fatherland) faction and several lawmakers from the pro-presidential Petro Poroshenko Bloc faction withdrew from the coalition. The Samopomoshch (Self-assistance) followed the lead on the next day leaving the coalition with only 215 votes which are not enough to take majority-vote decisions.