Ukraine’s parliament approves Prime Minister’s resignation

Ukraine’s parliament on Wednesday approved the resignation of Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk, whose departure after only half a year on the job was abruptly announced late the previous evening.

Honcharuk had a “cabinet of new faces, but faces are not enough. We need new minds, new hearts,” President Volodymyr Zelensky told a special session of parliament.

The lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favour of Honcharuk’s resignation.

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Honcharuk, 35, had initially submitted a resignation request two months ago after he was recorded insulting Zelensky, a career actor and relative political newcomer, who Honcharuk said had a “very primitive” understanding of economics.

Zelensky rejected that resignation request at the time, saying he would like to give Honcharuk and his cabinet more of a chance to prove themselves.

Honcharuk was expected to be replaced by Deputy Prime Minister Denys Shmygal, who had been appointed in that capacity last month.

Zelensky, 42, was inaugurated last year. Renowned for his role as a fictional head of state in a popular TV show, Zelensky campaigned as an alternative to a political establishment that has long struggled with entrenched corruption.

(DPA)