Leaders of the EuroMaidan revolution that toppled Viktor Yanukovych as president took the stage of Kyiv's Independence Square on Feb. 26 and proposed candidates for prime minister and Cabinet of Ministers.
Tens of thousands of people crowded to hear the choices, who face confirmation votes in parliament on Feb. 27. The proposed candidates represent a collection of veteran politicians and new civic activists to lead Ukraine’s government into the post-Yanukovych and post-Mykola Azarov era.
The crowd wasn’t happy with the two men who may become the nation’s top two leaders.
Interim President Oleksander Turchynov, named speaker of parliament and given the powers of head of state after Yanukovych fled and was impeached on Feb. 22, got booed when he took the stage.
Arseniy Yatseniuk, who is expected to be officially nominated in parliament on Feb. 27 as prime minister, also received boos, suggesting more political conflict ahead if he is confirmed by the lawmakers. No other prime minister candidates were proposed.
Politicians and civic activists are scrambling to quickly form a new unity government in order to negotiate for financial bailouts from the West and/or Russia. Ukraine’s economy is weakening by the day and the nation is having trouble servicing its multibillion-dollar debts. The national currency dipped to a record low Hr 10.5 to the dollar before rebounding slightly by the end of the day. More devaluation is expected as the nation’s hard-currency reserves dipped to a perilously low $15 billion in an economy that only has $200 billion in gross domestic product.
Turchynov, a former deputy prime minister and loyalist to ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, is seen as an old, tired face of Ukrainian politics by many of his critics.
He is also a member of parliament in the Batkivschyna Party. But he was combative in answering the boos, saying: “You may criticize the parliament, but you have no other authority now except it,” Turchynov said.
Olha Bohomolets, a physician who rocketed to fame and popularity by treating EuroMaidan victims during Ukraine’s three-month-old revolution, proved to be a more popular choice for deputy prime minister of humanitarian affairs. She pledged to cleanse government of corruption or quit. “If I see any corrupt schemes, I will com to Maidan and will head Maidan’s medical service again,” Bohomolets said.
Many other candidates also were cheered or got polite applause.
Here is the lineup to be voted on Feb. 27 by parliament for confirmation:
Prime Minister – Arseniy Yatseniuk (ex-foreign minister)
Deputy Prime Minister on European Union integration – Borys Tarasiuk (ex-foreign minister)
Deputy Prime Minister on Humanitarian Policy – Olga Bohomolets
Deputy Prime Minister on Regional Development – Volodymyr Hroisman (Vinnytsia mayor)
Justice Minister – Pavlo Petrenko
Minister of Finance – Oleksandr Shlapak
Minister of Economy -Pavlo Sheremeta
Minister of Foreign Affairs – Andriy Deshchytsia
Minister of Culture – Yevhen Nischuk
Minister of Health – Oleh Musiy
Minister of Sports and Youth – Dmytro Bulatov
Minister of Interior – Arsen Avakov
Minister of Cabinet of Ministers – Ostap Semerak
Minister of Energy – Yury Prodan
Minister of Education – Serhiy Kvit (president of Kyiv Mohyla Academy)
Secretary of National Security and Defence Council – Andriy Parubiy; deputy, Viktoria Siumar
Minister of Agriculture – Oleksandr Myrny
Minister of Defense – (to be named by Afgan veterans)
Minister of Infrastructure – (under negotiations)
Anti-Corruption Bureau – Tetyana Chornovol
Committee on Lustration – Ihor Sobolev
The following is a video from Friday, Feb. 21, of EuroMaidan protester Volodymyr Parasiuk’s plea to political opposition leaders to demand Viktor Yanukovych’s resignation as president by 10 a.m. on Feb. 22 or else EuroMaidan demonstrators would take up arms to oust him. Yanukovych fled overnight and hasn’t been since since.
