Ukraine opposition fails to dismiss prime minister

Ukraine’s opposition failed on April 19 to muster enough votes to dismiss Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov. The result was 36 votes shy of the majority needed. Among the opposition MPs failing to vote was Vitali Klitschko, chair of the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform, which has the second-largest opposition faction in parliament.

Zenon Zawada: The vote is the latest embarrassing chapter for the Ukrainian opposition, which is dealing with a very unpopular government yet can’t consolidate opposition against it, neither inside the parliament nor at street protests outside its walls. Azarov is the longest serving prime minister in independent Ukraine’s history, and Party of Regions MPs indicated that he will remain in place until the next presidential election scheduled for March 2015. Moreover, the current Cabinet of Ministers will serve for the next half year, as Ukrainian legislation allows only one attempt to vote for a PM’s dismissal per semi-annual session. The next time it can be attempted is with the opening of a new session in September.