The committee approved the dismissal of Shmygal and Fedorov: what next?
12 January 18:05
The Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence recommended that the Verkhovna Rada support President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s proposal to dismiss Denys Shmyhal from the post of Minister of Defense of Ukraine.
The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Digital Transformation also supported the resignation of Mykhailo Fedorov from the post of First Deputy Prime Minister.
This was announced by MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, noting that the committee’s decision was passed by a narrow margin.
How the committee voted
According to Zheleznyak,
- eight committee members voted in favor of the dismissal,
- while six voted against it.
This configuration of votes indicates a lack of consensus within the committee on personnel changes in the leadership of the defense department, but formally opens the way for consideration of the issue in the session hall.
The motion regarding Shmyhal is not the only personnel decision
On January 9, the Verkhovna Rada received resignation letters from two key members of the government:
- Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal,
- First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov.
The Committee on Digital Transformation hasalready supported Fedorov’s resignation.
Who could head the Ministry of Defense
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered Mykhailo Fedorov the position of head of the Ministry of Defense.
The final decision on the dismissal of Denys Shmyhal must be made by the Verkhovna Rada through a vote. Given the split in the relevant committee, the outcome of the session hall vote does not appear to be a formality.
