Ukraine speaker Hroisman reconsidering PM nomination

Ukrainian Parliamentary Speaker Volodymyr Hroisman, the candidate expected to be nominated as prime minister, reportedly is considering rejecting the post because certain requirements weren’t met. Hroisman wanted two political allies to be appointed to Cabinet posts and was refused, reported the evening of April 11 Mustafa Nayyem, a Petro Poroshenko Bloc MP. Hroisman also reportedly refused to work with two nominations for vice prime minister from the entourage of Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, Nayyem reported. The negotiations were postponed until the morning, he reported.

Other Poroshenko Bloc MPs commented the same evening that Hroisman made his comments rejecting the PM post during a heated and emotional debate regarding who would fill the Cabinet positions. Therefore, Nayyem made his report public hastily and Hroisman is still involved in the talks, said Poroshenko Bloc MP Maksym Kuriachiy. Poroshenko Bloc Faciton Head Yuriy Lutsenko said Hroisman refused the post amid an inability to agree to Cabinet nominations. He was more willing to compromise when other PM candidates were mentioned, Lutsenko said.

Following the report of Hroisman’s last-minute reconsideration, the People’s Front party, one of two parliamentary factions expected to form the new coalition, issued a statement following an April 11 meeting asking the Poroshenko Bloc and other factions to nominate a new candidate as prime minister. “We will very quickly review the candidates,” vowed Viktoria Siumar, a People’s Front MP. Regarding Hroisman’s reported refusal, she said, “It shocked everyone, including Arseniy Yatsenyuk, since we fulfilled all our previous agreements.”

Hroisman’s press secretary issued a tweet after midnight, updating the negotiating process. “Practically all the positions have been agreed upon. Hroisman managed to defense the reforms-oriented nucleus in the government,” he tweeted.

Zenon Zawada: Hroisman’s sudden demonstration of a backbone comes as a surprise after he spent his 16 months as parliamentary speaker acting as a virtual rubber stamp for Poroshenko, who was his mentor and sponsor. His demands for creating his own political team indicates that he wants to pursue policies independent of the president, which also indicates that he is concerned about his political career.

We share the widely held view that this new Cabinet is merely a transition team to early parliamentary elections, which could happen as early as this fall. Hroisman seems to be aware of the president’s rudderless leadership and doesn’t want to be tied down to a sinking ship.

At this point, it’s entirely possible that Hroisman ultimately decides not to accept the PM post. But we don’t believe that will delay forming the coalition for a long time, as reports indicate most of the Cabinet has already been selected. Finding a rubber stamp for Poroshenko won’t be a difficult task.