Newly-elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy should initiate the replacement of National Bank of Ukraine Governor Yakiv Smolii along with other appointments at a Verkhovna Rada extraordinary session, Batkivschyna party leader Yulia Tymoshenko has said.
“One of the first steps the new president should take in enacting his powers is to replace the chairman of the National Bank, so as to change its policy as a result,” Tymoshenko told journalists following consultations between the leaders of the parliamentary factions and the president regarding his decision to dissolve the Rada.
In explaining her motion, Tymoshenko said the National Bank and its policy over the past five years “have led the country to an extreme level of inflation, an unreasonable drop of the national currency unit, and absolutely unacceptable rates on loans for the business community and the economy.”
It was reported earlier that the Rada supported President Petro Poroshenko’s nomination of Smolii for National Bank of Ukraine governor for seven years on March 15, 2018. Prior to this appointment, Smolii served as the National Bank’s first deputy chairman responsible for calculation, monetary circulation, and information technology. He was acting National Bank governor from May 11, 2017.
