Yatseniuk says he resigns as Verkhovna Rada speaker

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Verkhovna Rada Chairman Arseniy Yatseniuk said at a meeting of the parliament on Wednesday that he had resigned. At the same time, he said he would remain on the post until the parliament takes a respective decision.

Yatseniuk said on Tuesday that the ruling coalition between the factions of the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko and the Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense Bloc had ceased to exist.

On September 2, 2008, the pro-presidential faction of the Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense Bloc left the ruling coalition after the factions of the Bloc of Tymoshenko, the oppositional Regions Party and the Communist Party had passed certain laws redistributing the powers of the president and the government.

According to the Constitution of Ukraine, a new coalition should be created within 30 days. Otherwise, the president can dissolve the parliament and call early elections.

According to the coalition agreement, the speaker and the prime minister should resign after dissolution of the coalition. However, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said yesterday that her government would continue working for a long time. "I want to assure you that the government will successfully work for a long time despite all troubles that are a storm in a teacup," she said.

UKRINFORM