Shortly after his inauguration, the new president of Ukraine dissolved the parliament and announced new elections. Selensky has so far no own majority in parliament.
The newly elected President of Ukraine, Volodomyr Selensky, has dissolved the parliament, paving the way for new elections. They should take place in two months. Originally, they were scheduled for October.
Selensky also announced that it would lift its immunity and initiate an enrichment initiative in office. Intelligence chief and Attorney General are to be dismissed.
Prime Minister Groisman resigns
Acting Prime Minister Vladimir Groisman announced his resignation. He would retire on Wednesday after a Cabinet meeting, said the 41-year-old politician. Already in recent days, senior politicians had announced their resignation, including Foreign Minister Pawel Klimkin. Defense Minister Stephan Poltorak had resigned after Selensky’s inaugural address. President Selensky had earlier resigned the entire government.
The ruling party People’s Front of former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced that he would withdraw from the coalition.
„End of the war priority task“
Selensky has so far no own majority in parliament. That’s why he had previously announced the dissolution.
In his inaugural address to his swearing-in, he called the end of the war in the east of the country his primary task. „I’m ready for anything.“ He was ready to make unpopular decisions and to sacrifice his own popularity, he said with applause.
The former actor emphasized that he would do everything to bring back the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea annexed by Russia. He was not ready to relinquish territory of Ukraine, Selensky said. However, a dialogue with Russia could only exist if Ukrainian territory were returned and prisoners of war released.
Selensky criticized the government under its predecessor Petro Poroshenko. She did not do anything to make people in the Donbass feel like Ukrainians. Part of his speech was in Russian.
Russian representatives were not invited to the ceremony according to Ukrainian media.
Show of power with Parliament before taking office
If it had gone to Selensky, the inauguration would have already gone on Sunday on the stage. „But the parliament has voted differently.“ It is not worth complaining about. „I have to tell you, though, that there will be a good deal of foreign guests, so a large part of Kiev will be closed, so we wanted to do the inauguration on the 19th, on a day off,“ Selensky said.
Selensky apologized to his followers. Parliament has caused many difficulties. „I promise we will also give him trouble,“ he said before his inauguration.
The team of Selensky had several times indicated that it holds little of the work of the deputies. Parliament has many interests, except those of the people, it said. Why it’s better to dissolve today than tomorrow. The country needs institutions that work normally.
Selensky had beaten the previous incumbent Petro Poroshenko in the run-off election by a large margin last month in the presidential election.
