Tabachnyk, elected as a deputy, resigns as education minister

Minister for Education and Science, Youth and Sports of Ukraine Dmytro Tabachnyk, who has been elected as an MP, has submitted a statement of resignation to President Viktor Yanukovych.

"Of course," he told reporters, when asked whether he had written a statement of resignation.

When asked whether this statement has been passed to the head of state, Tabachnyk also said: "Of course."

As reported, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said that government members who won seats in parliament should decide on their future job, consulting with President Viktor Yanukovych.

The head of the Regions Party faction in parliament, Oleksandr Yefremov, said earlier that all ministers who were elected MPs would accept deputy mandates: "I know one thing - that all ministers are now writing statements and switching to parliamentary work."

He noted that the ministers who won the parliamentary elections would act in future depending on the formation of a majority in parliament and the formation of the Cabinet of Ministers.

Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, Deputy Prime Minister and Social Policy Minister Sergiy Tigipko, Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych, Minister for Economic Development and Trade Petro Poroshenko, Emergencies Minister Viktor Baloha, Deputy Prime Minister and Infrastructure Minister Borys Kolesnikov, Minister for Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Anatoliy Blyzniuk, and Minister for Education, Science, Youth and Sports Dmytro Tabachnyk were elected MPs.

Under the law, persons that were elected MPs, in order to get parliamentary mandates, should provide documents on the dismissal from their previous job, to the Central Election Commission within 20 days (by Dec. 3).