Political scenario of the day: Shmyhal reports, Rada votes, government changes
16 July 11:47
A draft resolution on the resignation of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The document has already appeared on the parliament’s website, and its registration was the first official step toward changing the head of government. This is reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the published resolution.
The resolution states:
“In accordance with paragraph 12 of part one of Article 85 and part two of Article 115 of the Constitution of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine resolves: To accept the resignation of the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Anatoliyovych Shmyhal”.
MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak, Zheleznyak explained how the first part of the process of resignation of Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and change of the government will take place.
“At about 13:00, Shmyhal with the entire government will come to the Verkhovna Rada,” he wrote on his Telegram channel.
According to the MP, the Prime Minister will have 15 minutes to address the parliament.
“He will speak for 15 minutes, followed by 3 minutes of speeches from factions and groups,” Zheleznyak said.
After that, a vote on his dismissal will be held. At least 226 votes are needed for the decision to be passed. In case of support for the prime minister’s resignation, the entire Cabinet of Ministers automatically acquires the status of interim.
“One vote of 226 for the dismissal of the Government. Then the entire Government becomes “acting” for that day,” the MP explained.
Immediately after that, the Servant of the People faction, which acts as a coalition, will meet to nominate a new candidate for the post of Prime Minister.
“There is a meeting of the Servant of the People as a faction of the coalition, and they are nominating Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko,” the MP said.
The next day, according to Zhelezniak, the vote for the new head of government and the new Cabinet of Ministers is to take place.
“Then tomorrow we will vote for the Prime Minister and the new government… if it can be called new,” he summarized.
Who could lead the new government
According to Zheleznyak, the Servant of the People faction is preparing the candidacy of Yulia Svyrydenko for the post of the new head of government.
“Tomorrow we will vote for a new prime minister and a new government,” he wrote.
As a reminder, on July 15, Denys Shmyhal submitted his resignation as Prime Minister. He had served as head of government since March 4, 2020, becoming the prime minister with the longest tenure in the history of independent Ukraine – more than five years.
He is expected to head the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
On July 13, Shmyhal held a working meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Following the meeting, the head of state announced a “tangible managerial transformation,” which became a prerequisite for changes in the Cabinet.
Denys Shmyhal was born on October 15, 1975, in Lviv. He graduated from Lviv Polytechnic and holds a PhD in Economics. He has worked in business and public administration, particularly in the energy sector.
In 2019, he served as the head of the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional State Administration, and later as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Community and Territorial Development. on March 4, 2020, the Verkhovna Rada appointed him Prime Minister of Ukraine after the resignation of the government of Oleksiy Honcharuk.
During Shmyhal’s premiership, the country went through a number of major challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s full-scale invasion, the energy crisis, and public administration reform. He coordinated international assistance, the implementation of reconstruction initiatives and European integration processes.
