Ukraine’s prime minister quits, with ally of President Poroshenko poised to take over
The resignation of Ukraine’s prime minister has cleared the path for an ally of President Petro Poroshenko to lead a new-look government as the former Soviet republic looks to end its worst political crisis in two years and restart billions of dollars of international aid.
Parliament Speaker Volodymyr Hroisman, nominated by Poroshenko’s party as a replacement for Pime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, may be confirmed by lawmakers as soon as Tuesday. Yatsenyuk, 41, quit Sunday after weeks of pressure, though he said his party would remain part of a revamped ruling coalition, alongside that of the president.
Swept to power in 2014 after a street revolution demanding that Ukraine be remade as a European-style democracy, the country’s leaders have come under fire from voters and foreign donors for not tackling corruption. Stalled reforms prompted the departure of key officials from the administration, and a freeze in disbursements from a US$17.5 billion International Monetary Fund bailout. While the economy has begun to recover from an 18-month recession, the Ukraine currency, the hryvnia, has lost more than 10 per cent against the dollar this year.
“We can’t tolerate anarchy any more,” Poroshenko said in an interview with three Ukrainian television channels. “We must have a coalition and a nominee for the prime minister’s post on Tuesday. I expect it will be Hroisman but I’ll work with any prime minister.”
A new coalition, formed by Poroshenko and Yatsenyuk’s parties, will be announced and will nominate their candidate for prime minister Tuesday, the head of Poroshenko’s party, Yuriy Lutsenko, said Sunday by text message. The president’s party has previously nominated Hroisman and had been seeking to lure independent deputies to enable the formation of a new majority coalition in the 450-seat house.
Hroisman has been parliament speaker since November 2014 after serving previously as a deputy prime minister under Yatsenyuk. His appointment , ahead of candidates such as Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko, would consolidate Poroshenko’s grip on power. He has said he would like to appoint former Slovak Finance Minister Ivan Miklos to replace Jaresko, a favourite among investors after she oversaw a US$15 billion debt restructuring last year.
Poroshenko said he received assurances during a recent visit to Washington that agreeing on a new cabinet would be enough to secure approval of US$1 billion in US loan guarantees. Additional financial aid, delayed since October as disagreements over this year’s budget descended into infighting over the pace of reforms, will include US$680 million from the European Union and the next US$1.7 billion installment.
