UKRAINE HAS NEW GOVERNMENT
Interfax Ukraine Business Panorama, Kyiv, Ukraine, Mon, Dec 24, 2007
KYIV - BYT Leader Yulia Tymoshenko was elected Ukraine's prime minister
on December 18, with 226 MPs voting for her appointment. Tymoshenko's
nomination was backed by all 156 members of the BYT faction.
Our Ukraine-People's Self Defense MP Ivan Pliusch abstained. Another faction member Ivan Spodarenko, who was earlier in intensive care in a hospital, was not present at the parliament.
The dismissal of the government of Viktor Yanukovych was also officially
announced on December 18. Mykola Shershun, the chairman of the accounting commission, read a protocol of the vote for the dismissal of the government in the Verkhovna Rada. A total of 226 MPs voted to dismiss the Cabinet of
Ministers.
On the same day, the Ukrainian parliament appointed the new Cabinet of
Ministers of Ukraine. A total of 227 MPs (including Ivan Pliusch of the Our
Ukraine-People's Self Defense faction, who earlier abstained from voting and who is not a member of the coalition) supported the appointment of the new government, with 226 votes required.
The Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, on December 18 officially
announced the appointment of the new Cabinet of Ministers. Mykola Shershun, the head of the accounting commission of the parliament, read a protocol of the vote on the appointment of the Ukrainian government.
According to the official protocol, 227 MPs voted to appoint the government.
The Regions Party, the Communist Party and the Bloc of Lytvyn did not
participate in the vote. All of the 156 MPs of the Bloc of Yulia
Tymoshenko's faction voted to appoint the new government.
A total of 71 out of the 72 MPs of the Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense
Bloc backed the decision. Only Ivan Spodarenko did not participate in the
vote, as he was in hospital.
Verkhovna Rada Speaker Arseniy Yatseniuk signed a resolution on the
appointment of the new Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. The newly elected
government members took their seats.
The newly appointed members of the government are:
[1] First Deputy Premier Oleksandr Turchynov of the Bloc of Yulia
Tymoshenko;
[2] Deputy Premiers Ivan Vasiunyk (deputy head of the presidential
secretariat at present, quota of the Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense
Bloc) and
[3] Hryhoriy Nemyria of the BYT;
[4] Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko (the first deputy foreign minister at
present, the quota of President Viktor Yuschenko);
[5] Defense Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov (MP of the Our Ukraine-People's
Self-Defense Bloc, the quota of the president);
[6] Finance Minister Viktor Pinzenyk (the finance minister in the government
of Yulia Tymoshenko and the government of Yuriy Yekhanurov in 2005-2006,
MP of the BYT, the quota of the BYT);
[7] Economy Minister Bohdan Danylyshyn (corresponding member of the
National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the head of the Council for studies
of the productive forces of Ukraine, the quota of the BYT);
[8] Industry Minister Volodymyr Novitsky (deputy industry minister since
August 2006, the quota of the BYT);
[9] Fuel and Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan (deputy secretary of the National
Security and Defense Council, the quota of the BYT);
[10] Coal Minister Viktor Poltavets (coal minister in 1994-1995, the quota of
the BYT);
[11] Agriculture Minister Yuriy Melnyk (Agriculture Minister since August
2006, the quota of the BYT);
[12] Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko (MP of the Our Ukraine-People's
Self-Defense Bloc);
[13] Transport and Communications Minister Yosyp Vinsky (MP of the
BYT);
[14] Culture and Tourism Minister Vasyl Vovkun (the quota of the Our
Ukraine-People's Self-Defense Bloc);
[15] Labor and Social Policy Minister Liudmyla Denisova (MP of the BYT);
[16] Health Minister Vasyl Kniazevych (the quota of the Our Ukraine-People's
Self-Defense Bloc);
[17] Education and Science Minister Ivan Vakarchuk (rector of Lviv
Polytekhnika University, the quota of the Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense
Bloc);
[18] Construction and Regional Development Minister Vasyl Kuybida (MP
of the Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense Bloc);
[19] Utility and Housing Economy Minister Oleksiy Kucherenko (MP of the
Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense Bloc);
[20] Justice Minister Mykola Onischuk (MP of the Our Ukraine-People's
Self-Defense Bloc);
[21] Family, Sport, and Youth Policy Minister Yuriy Pavlenko (MP of the
Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense Bloc);
[22] Environment Protection Minister Heorhiy Filipchuk (MP of the BYT);
[23] Emergency Situations Minister Volodymyr Shandra (the industry minister
in the government of Yulia Tymoshenko in 2005, the quota of the Our
Ukraine-People's Self-Defense Bloc);
[24] Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers Petro Krupko (MP of the BYT).
Newly appointed Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said her team was starting
the process of cleaning corruption out of government.
"We are starting the process of a government cleanup. I will do my utmost to
end forever the key role of dirty shadow money in Ukrainian political life,
end the practice of buying deputies like cattle at the market. No politician
will ever again strive to [steal] easily tens of millions," she said in a
televised address on the Inter TV channel on Thursday.
She said deputy immunity would be canceled within days. "Corrupt deputies
will be deprived of deputy powers at congresses of parties," she said.
Tymoshenko said the leadership of law enforcement agencies and auditing
agencies would be replaced. "Those striving to work will be working, those
stealing will answer for it," Tymoshenko said.
Tymoshenko also said her government will fulfill all election promises
despite the expected colossal resistance from oligarch and bureaucrats.
"We don't surrender any of our promises. We are fully responsible for each
word, each election promise," Tymoshenko said on the Inter TV channel on
Thursday evening. "We acknowledge colossal resistance from corruptive
structures, oligarchic groups, the mid-level of bureaucracy, mercenary
experts and political scientists," she said.
"They will throw billions now to stop our government and destroy the
democratic coalition," Tymoshenko said. Tymoshenko called on Ukrainian
citizens not to trust "black propaganda."
"When I say we will do, we will fulfill, we will introduce order I mean the
team of the president, the government, and the democratic coalition at the
Verkhovna Rada. I won't let anybody destroy this unity," Tymoshenko said.
Former Premier Viktor Yanukovych and the Regions Party on December 21
announced the creation of a shadow government.
Yanukovych became the premier of the shadow government, the press service
of the oppositional government told Interfax-Ukraine.
Besides, the composition of the shadow cabinet was confirmed at a meeting of
the opposition on Friday.
The shadow cabinet will consist of Finance Minister Mykola Azarov, Economics
Minister Irena Akimova, Defense Minister Oleksandr Kuzmuk, Interior Minister
Mykola Dzhyha, Fuel and Energy Minister Yuriy Boiko, Coal Industry Minister
Serhiy Tulub, Transport and Communications Minister Vasyl Kazak, Labor and
Social Policy Minister Mykhailo Papiev, Education and Culture Minister
Dmytro Tabachnyk, Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Hryschenko, Justice Minister
Oleksandr Lavrynovych, Environment Minister Anatoliy Tolstoukhov,
Agriculture Minister Viktor Slauta, Communal and Housing Industry Minister
Oleksandr Popov, Emergencies Minister Nestor Shufrych, Construction Minister
Volodymyr Yatsuba, Industrial Policy Minister Anatoliy Kinakh and Youth,
Family and Sports Minister Viktor Korzh.
Serhiy Levochkyn was appointed shadow NBU governor, Inna Bohoslovska -
head of the State Tax Administration of Ukraine.
Posts of culture and health ministries, heads of the Security Service of
Ukraine and the Customs Service remain vacant.
The press service said that these posts were secured for other participants
of the opposition.