You're reading: Hrytsenko not planning to resign as a deputy

Ukrainian deputy Anatoliy Hrytsenko, who has written a statement about his leaving the Batkivschyna faction, has said he is not planning to resign from parliament. 

“When we merged into Batkivschyna, I, [Arseniy] Yatseniuk [who led the Front for Change Party], and other heads [of political parties] assumed in writing our personal responsibility that there will be no turncoats. At that time I proposed that he revoke his mandate. Ten former Front for Change deputies have already become turncoats,” he told reporters in parliament on Tuesday.

He also said that he does not consider himself a turncoat.

“Turncoats are those who came over to the side of the government. I remain in opposition. I clearly said that I would implement the program with which we went to the polls and which I, among other people, wrote,” Hrytsenko said.

He said that he plans to remain in opposition to the current government and participate in protests on Independence Square in Kyiv.

“The [Batkivschyna] faction will either be in the regime of a totalitarian sect – then it will go below zero, or it will finally listen to different opinions and then have a chance,” Hrytsenko said.