MOSCOW, July 17. /TASS/. The Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s parliament) has voted in favor of appointing Yulia Sviridenko as Ukraine’s new prime minister, Rada lawmaker Alexey Goncharenko (listed as a terrorist and extremist in Russia) said.

A total of 262 MPs voted in favor of her appointment out of the required 226, with 22 lawmakers opposing it.

Sviridenko is now expected to present nominations for other government ministers at today’s Rada session, with the exception of the Defense and Foreign Ministers, whose candidacies must be submitted by Vladimir Zelensky. It has already been announced that Denis Shmygal will succeed Rustem Umerov as Defense Minister, while Andrey Sibiga will remain as Foreign Minister. A parliamentary vote on the full composition of the new cabinet is expected following these submissions.

Constitutional violations

Zelensky submitted Sviridenko’s candidacy to the Rada on July 16, after having proposed her for the post on July 14. On the same day, the Rada formally dismissed Denis Shmygal as Prime Minister, triggering the automatic resignation of the entire government under Ukrainian law.

However, several MPs and analysts believe that Sviridenko’s appointment violated constitutional procedures. According to Ukrainian law, a candidate for prime minister must be nominated by a coalition of parliamentary factions or the ruling party faction, after which the president formally submits the nomination. In this case, the Servant of the People faction - the ruling party - convened on the evening of July 16, after Zelensky had already moved forward with the proposal.

Golos MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, citing conversations with members of the Servant of the People party, stated that Zelensky’s team did not consult or inform the faction about the planned government reshuffle or discuss potential cabinet candidates in advance.

In Ukrainian political circles, Sviridenko is widely seen as a close ally of Andrey Yermak, head of the Presidential Office. Observers suggest that her appointment will further consolidate Yermak’s influence over the government. Rodion Miroshnik, Russia’s ambassador-at-large for investigating the Kiev regime's crimes, told TASS: "Sviridenko is closer to Yermak, so he will now keep the cabinet on a tight leash."

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov (2010-2014) also criticized the process in a TASS interview, arguing that the constitution was violated during the formation of the new cabinet. He emphasized that candidates for ministerial posts should be presented by the new prime minister, not the president, and that all nominees - except for the heads of Defense and Foreign Ministries - must be approved by the Rada, not by Zelensky. "Zelensky stopped giving a damn about the constitution a long time ago," Azarov said.

Independent MP Artyom Dmytruk echoed those concerns, telling TASS that the government reshuffle took place in violation of constitutional norms and lacked transparency. In his view, the only criterion for joining the cabinet is a vow of undying loyalty to Zelensky.