MOSCOW, July 16. /TASS/. Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (parliament) has overwhelmingly endorsed the resignation of Prime Minister Denis Shmygal, according to a live social media broadcast by parliament member Alexey Goncharenko (blacklisted in Russia as a terrorist and extremist).
According to Ukrainian laws, the prime minister’s resignation triggers the resignation of the entire government.
Shmygal submitted his resignation on Tuesday. His cabinet members will continue their duties until a new government is formed, which is expected on Thursday, July 17.
Earlier, Vladimir Zelensky announced plans to appoint Shmygal as the defense minister in the new government.
New cabinet
Yulia Sviridenko, who currently serves as first deputy prime minister and economy minister, is widely expected to become Ukraine’s new head of government.
A number of Ukrainian lawmakers and experts see Sviridenko as a member of Presidential Office Chief Andrey Yermak’s team, saying that her appointment as prime minister will further strengthen the latter’s control over the government.
Outgoing Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is expected to take the position of Ukraine’s next ambassador to the United States. Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga will retain his post, along with Finance Minister Sergey Marchenko and Interior Minister Igor Klimenko.
Constitutional violations
Nikolay Azarov, who served as the country’s prime minister in 2010-2014, said earlier in an interview with TASS that the process of changing the government involved violations of the Ukrainian constitution. According to Azarov, Zelensky violated the constitution when he suggested Sviridenko be appointed as prime minister because under the law, it is up to a coalition majority to nominate a candidate and submit its proposal to the president for approval. Besides, in Azarov’s words, Sviridenko should have nominated candidates to the new cabinet instead of Zelensky. The former prime minister explained that according to the law, cabinet members were supposed to be approved by the Rada, not by Zelensky, with the exception of the defense and foreign ministers.