Ukraine Parliament accepts PM's resignation

The decision was supported by 353 deputies with a required minimum of 226 votes Honcharuk offered his resignation. The resignation of the Prime Minister entails the resignation of all members of the government.

Kiev:The Ukrainian Parliament or the Verkhovna Rada has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk who decided to step down from the post over a leaked audiotape scandal.

The decision on Wednesday was supported by 353 deputies with a required minimum of 226 votes Honcharuk offered his resignation on Tuesday.

According to the Constitution of Ukraine, the resignation of the Prime Minister entails the resignation of all members of the government.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his speech before the voting, said the government under Honcharuk's leadership had certain achievements but also made some mistakes.

"Let's be objective - this Government has achievements. This is a reduction in inflation, fighting against shadow markets, in particular gambling and illegal gas stations, the start of the privatization of state-owned enterprises, ... reduction of the state's role in the economy. But the truth is that today this is not enough for Ukrainians," he said.

Zelensky noted that the state budget failed to receive 16 billion hryvnias (USD 643 million) over the last two months while the business circles have been complaining about the continuous smuggling.

The President also spoke about the industry declining by 5 percent which has been going on for four consecutive months. The government has not provided tools that stimulate domestic production and new production capacities.

The government reshuffle came as Honcharuk's approval ratings have dropped significantly following the scandal.

In January, the audiotape was uploaded to an anonymous YouTube channel in which a voice sounding like Honcharuk was reportedly heard discussing the national budget with some other government ministers and senior officials from the national bank.

The authenticity of the recording has not been officially confirmed.

The 35-year-old Honcharuk, who took the post of the prime minister on August 29, 2019, after Zelensky's nomination received the support of the President's Servant of the People party that dominates Parliament.

(With inputs from IANS)