AP
KIEV, DECEMBER 12
Scuffles involving several dozen lawmakers have erupted at Ukraine’s parliament after one deputy tried to drag the prime minister away from the rostrum.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk was giving his report at the Supreme Rada on Friday when a deputy from the president’s party went up to the rostrum with a bunch of red roses. After he handed the roses to Yatsenyuk, Oleh Barna took him by the waist and put his hands around his leg, trying to drag him away as Yatsenyuk clutched onto the rostrum.
Barna has been collecting signatures for the resignation of the highly unpopular Yatsenyuk.
Dozens of lawmakers from Yatsenyuk’s party rushed to defend the prime minister and scuffles erupted. Barna’s party said later Friday they have expelled him from the parliamentary faction over the incident.
The incident exposed deep divisions in the pro-Europe coalition that have fuelled speculation the government could fall even as Ukraine’s Western backers warn that time is running out for Kiev to make good on its promises to root out endemic corruption and cronyism.
Yatseniuk is, like Poroshenko, a pivotal player in the pro-Western leadership that emerged after the downfall of the Moscow-backed Viktor Yanukovich in February 2014. But support for him has fallen dramatically in the past year.
“The atmosphere in the room provoked mentally unbalanced people. Oleh Barna served on the frontline and is therefore too impulsive, but that does not excuse his actions,” the head of Poroshenko’s bloc Yuriy Lutsenko told journalists.
The brawl interrupted a question-and-answer session with Yatseniuk, 41, after he delivered a summary of the performance of his government, which after exactly one year in power is now no longer immune from being dismissed by parliament.
“I told you a year ago that nobody is going to promise the moon,” Yatseniuk said, appearing to defend his cabinet from accusations they have not made good on their reform promises.
“You have full constitutional right to vote on the question of dismissing Ukraine’s cabinet. Put it to the vote. I’ll accept the decision of the Ukrainian parliament. I’m not clinging to this chair,” he said.
Opposition parties are calling for a no-confidence motion to be tabled and commentators say enough votes could be gathered to dismiss the government, but a vote is not yet likely due to the lack of a candidate to replace Yatseniuk.
In an impassioned speech on Tuesday, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden urged parliament to put their differences aside to approve reforms, including critical tax and budget bills and judicial changes, without which he said Ukraine would fail to rebuild itself on transparent, democratic lines.
“The President, the Prime Minister, the members of this august body — all of you must put aside parochial differences …If you fail, the experiment fails,” he told parliament.
