The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has held an unscheduled meeting on Friday morning, Channel 5 has reported referring to the government's secretariat.
The secretariat did not specify what issues were on the agenda of the meeting.
Meanwhile, the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia. Ukraine (zn.ua) publication reported referring to an informed source in the government that it was the last meeting of the current government at which Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov thanked all of its members for their work.
On December 19, the Ukrainian prime minister’s press secretary, Vitaliy Lukyanenko, said that the new government of Ukraine is to be formed this week.
As reported, Azarov headed the Regions Party’s list of parliamentary candidates at the 2012 elections and was elected as a people’s deputy. On December 3, he tendered his resignation and Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych accepted it and dismissed the entire Cabinet of Ministers.
Seven members of the government were dismissed by a separate decree due to their election to the parliament. In particular, the president dismissed Vice Premier and Infrastructure Minister Borys Kolesnikov, Vice Premier and Social Policy Minister Sergiy Tigipko, Emergencies Minister Viktor Baloha, Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Utilities Minister Anatoliy Blyzniuk, Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych, Economic Development and Trade Minister Petro Poroshenko, and Education and Science, Youth and Sports Minister Dmytro Tabachnyk.
On December 9, the president nominated Azarov’s candidacy for the position of premier. On December 13, the parliament approved the president’s proposal to appoint Azarov as prime minister.
According to the Constitution of Ukraine, the president of Ukraine appoints the prime minister following the approval of the candidacy by more than a half of the constitutional membership of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament. The president also appoints the staff of the government nominated by the premier.
