Will the Rada find votes for Kostin’s resignation: what is known
9 April 2024 13:33
ЕКСКЛЮЗИВ
In the near future, the current Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin may be dismissed and the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleh Kiper, may be appointed as the new head of the OGP. Leading Ukrainian media outlets have been reporting this for several weeks in a row, citing their own sources.
The resignation of the Prosecutor General is to be considered by the Parliament. According to Komersant Ukrayinsky 
there are enough votes in the Verkhovna Rada to dismiss Andriy Kostin, but there are problems with votes in favour of Oleg Kiper’s candidacy.
Not everyone in the parliament wants or has the right to comment on this information. For example, the former presidential representative in parliament, MP from the Servant of the People faction, Fedir Venislavskyi, assured Kommersant Ukrainskyi that he had no information about the issue of the Prosecutor General being submitted to the Verkhovna Rada.
“I currently have no information on the search for votes for the dismissal/appointment of the Prosecutor General,”
– the politician briefly summed up.
The deputy head of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction, Yevheniia Kravchuk, even denied the information circulating in the media about the resignation of Andrii Kostin and other personnel rotations in the PGO.
“For this, there must be a submission from the President or a statement from the Prosecutor General. After all, the Verkhovna Rada votes on the basis of documents, not media reports. Personally, I assess the Prosecutor General’s work positively,”
– commented the MP on media reports on this topic.
The opposition is usually much more willing to tell the public about what is happening in the parliamentary corridors. Mykola Velychkovych, MP from the European Solidarity faction, is convinced that the parliament will find the necessary number of votes if the issue of voting for the resignation of the current Prosecutor General arises.
“I do not yet understand how true the information about the change of the Prosecutor General is. If there is a question of dismissal, there is a possibility that he will be dismissed. As for the appointment of a new one, it will be more difficult than dismissing the current one,”
– said the MP.
Yaroslav Yurchyshyn of the Voice faction shares the position of his parliamentary colleague. In his opinion, it will not be difficult to dismiss the current Prosecutor General by a majority vote.
“The votes of the majority and former representatives of the OPFL are enough. Therefore, I predict that the dismissal can be voted quite calmly,”
– he summarises.
Yaroslav Yurchyshyn also agrees with his colleagues that it will be much more difficult to gather votes in support of Oleg Kiper.
“As for Kiper, the majority will definitely not be so unanimous. It is very likely that he will be appointed as acting deputy after Kostin’s dismissal for a certain period of time,”
– he said.
Both the pro-government Servants of the People faction and the opposition European Solidarity, Voice and Fatherland factions are cautious about commenting on the performance of the current Prosecutor General.
MP Mykhailo Tsymbalyuk of the Batkivshchyna faction believes that if the top political leadership decides to replace the Prosecutor General, then the votes will be found. He also does not rule out the possibility that there will be enough political will and votes, if necessary, to appoint Oleg Kiper to this position.
“I do not rule it out. He has proven himself positively as head of the Kyiv Prosecutor’s Office. He is a professional person who has gone through all the stages and now has become a politician, leading such a difficult region in a difficult period. That’s why I think this is a real option and there would be votes for this candidate,”
– summed up Mykhailo Tsymbalyuk.
Earlier, Kommersant Ukrainian reported earlier, citing its own sources, that the head of the Odesa Regional Prosecutor’s Office, Oleh Kiper, is planning to become the new head of the Prosecutor General’s Office. Vasyl Malyuk may be replaced by his current deputy, Oleksandr Poklad, as the head of the SBU.
Author: Iryna Shevchenko
