Odesa State Regional Administration’s ex-head Maksym Stepanov has refused to step down from his post, saying incumbent President Petro Poroshenko’s decree dismissing him is “illegal.”
“The head of Odesa Regional State Administration is standing here in front of you. He has not said or written any resignation and does not plan to … Today, a couple of hours ago, a decree was published on the website of Ukraine’s president about my dismissal. It is a very strange document, which I and my lawyers consider … has nothing in common with Ukrainian legislation. The document exceeds the grants of authority of the president as defined by the Constitution,” Stepanov said in a video recording of a briefing at the Odesa Regional State Administration building on April 8 posted by the Odesa-based Dumskaya ezine.
The decree was drafted and released in breach of the relevant procedure, “because the president’s powers are determined by the constitution, which says clearly what he may and may not do, including with the heads of regional state administrations: he can appoint, and may dismiss them at the cabinet’s proposal,” Stepanov said when asked if he thought the decree was unlawful.
During his visit to Odesa on April 5, Poroshenko suggested that Stepanov tender his resignation, the governor said. “I was suggested to write a letter [of resignation]. I refused, because I have no wish to write [such] a letter,” Stepanov said.
Earlier on April 8 the presidential website posted Poroshenko’s decrees dated April 6 dismissing Stepanov and replacing him with the governor’s first deputy Serhiy Parashchenko in the acting capacity.
