Ukrainian president’s faction in parliament on brink of collapse — MP

World February 08, 2016, 16:20

The Petro Poroshenko Bloc now consists of 135 MPs. A total of 11 MPs have already left the faction, which still remains the biggest in the parliament

KIEV, February 8. /TASS/. The Petro Poroshenko Bloc faction in the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, is about to collapse, a member of the party, Yegor Firsov, said on Monday.

"You know, while (first deputy chairman of the faction and Poroshenko’s business partner Igor) Kononenko is in the faction, it will indeed fall apart," Firsov told the 112.Ukraina TV channel.

The Ukrainian MP said he is not planning to stay in the faction and has no plans to "cover up his corrupt activity" or be associated with it.

The Petro Poroshenko Bloc now consists of 135 MPs. A total of 11 MPs have already left the faction, which still remains the biggest in the parliament.

Last week, Ukraine’s Minister of Economy and Trade Aivaras Abromavicius also accused Kononenko of corruption and announced his resignation. He complained that the members of Ukraine’s presidential administration blocked his and his team’s activity.

Abromavicius said MP Kononenko, a business partner of the president, was among those who created obstacles for him to carry out reforms. He said Kononenko allegedly lobbied to get his people appointed as heads of state companies.

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