14 July 2008
On Friday, the last day before a holiday break until September, the Verkhovna Rada failed to approve either of two competing draft amendments to the 2008 state budget, one submitted by the Cabinet of Ministers and the other from the President. The Cabinet’s draft was supported by 216 votes (226 are required to pass); while the president’s draft received only 58 votes. Parliament did not approve a proposal by Speaker Arseniy Yatsenyuk to bring either draft up for a vote after coming back from summer vacation. The key item in the Cabinet’s amendments to the 2008 state budget was an increase in budget income by UAH 25.4 bln (UAH 5.2 bln) and expenditures by UAH 24.0 bln (USD 4.9 bln). For more details look for our note later today.