Ukraine faced the prospect Thursday of a fresh political crisis sparked by its reformist economy minister's resignation in protest at alleged influence-peddling and state graft.
President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk hastily arranged a meeting with ambassadors from the G7 nations after the envoys expressed deep concern at Aivaras Abromavicius's shock decision to step down.
Poroshenko held last-ditch talks with the Lithuanian-born minister Wednesday in a bid to change his mind and reassure him that all his charges would be investigated in full.
But parliament began debating the 40-year-old's future in a tense session that saw one deputy raise the prospect of holding a vote of no confidence in the government as a whole.
"It is clear to everyone that we are entering a serious political crisis," parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Groysman told reporters.
Western frustration has been fanned by the fact that Abromavicius is the fourth reform-minded minister to tender his resignation since Ukraine's 2014 revolution broke its ties with Russia and set it on a European course.
Parliament never approved any of their dismissals and they still remain acting ministers in their posts.
Yet the attempted flight of cabinet members charged with putting the war-scarred nation of about 40 million on a transparent path toward growth highlights the problems Ukraine faces in fulfilling its dream of joining the EU.
The G7 envoys emerged from their talks with Ukraine's two top leaders and Groysman without divulging much about what was discussed.
The Ukrainian leaders "assured us that they will work together, will work in unity for the reforms in the country," Japanese Ambassador Shigeki Sumi said on behalf of the foreign group.
But the European Business Association on Ukraine openly called the economy chief's resignation "an appalling symptom, which is likely to have very negative repercussions."
- New vested interests -
Abromavicius levelled his most serious charges against a top Poroshenko party member named Igor Kononenko -- a figure the Ukrainian media often refer to as a "grey cardinal" who implements the president's political will.
He accused Kononenko of trying to push his own people into economy ministry positions that oversee the cash flows of Ukraine's vast but notoriously opaque defence and energy industries.
Abromavicius had tried to remove figures tied to vested interests from state corporations that have been bleeding money due to suspected corruption and complex offshore schemes.
"I expected this," Abromavicius told the Novoye Vremya weekly's website just hours after his decision to quit.
"But I expected this to come from the old interests (of ousted Russian-backed president Viktor Yanukovych) and not the new ones," he added.
"It came as a big surprise when certain new politicians tried to get their hand on state companies."
- 'Western confidence low' -
Kononenko himself denied the charges and said he was ready to step down from his senior post in Poroshenko's parliamentary faction if his fellow deputies do not trust his work.
But some political analysts said the entire scandal had already undermined Ukraine's reputation and threatened the disbursement of essential assistance tentatively promised by Ukraine's Western allies and the International Monetary Fund.
"Regardless of whether Abromavicius stays or goes, this domestic political crisis is likely to have major repercussions," Anders Aslund of the US-based Atlantic Council wrote in a report.
"The confidence of Western governments in the current Ukrainian administration is running low," Aslund added.
"The International Monetary Fund, the United States, and the European Union had been expected to provide a total of $4 billion (3.6 billion euros) in credits later this month, but none are likely to contribute unless the Ukrainian government shows real commitment to fight corruption."
Ukraine faced the prospect Thursday of a fresh political crisis sparked by its reformist economy minister’s resignation in protest at alleged influence-peddling and state graft.
President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk hastily arranged a meeting with ambassadors from the G7 nations after the envoys expressed deep concern at Aivaras Abromavicius’s shock decision to step down.
Poroshenko held last-ditch talks with the Lithuanian-born minister Wednesday in a bid to change his mind and reassure him that all his charges would be investigated in full.
But parliament began debating the 40-year-old’s future in a tense session that saw one deputy raise the prospect of holding a vote of no confidence in the government as a whole.
“It is clear to everyone that we are entering a serious political crisis,” parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Groysman told reporters.
Western frustration has been fanned by the fact that Abromavicius is the fourth reform-minded minister to tender his resignation since Ukraine’s 2014 revolution broke its ties with Russia and set it on a European course.
Parliament never approved any of their dismissals and they still remain acting ministers in their posts.
Yet the attempted flight of cabinet members charged with putting the war-scarred nation of about 40 million on a transparent path toward growth highlights the problems Ukraine faces in fulfilling its dream of joining the EU.
The G7 envoys emerged from their talks with Ukraine’s two top leaders and Groysman without divulging much about what was discussed.
The Ukrainian leaders “assured us that they will work together, will work in unity for the reforms in the country,” Japanese Ambassador Shigeki Sumi said on behalf of the foreign group.
But the European Business Association on Ukraine openly called the economy chief’s resignation “an appalling symptom, which is likely to have very negative repercussions.”
– New vested interests –
Abromavicius levelled his most serious charges against a top Poroshenko party member named Igor Kononenko — a figure the Ukrainian media often refer to as a “grey cardinal” who implements the president’s political will.
He accused Kononenko of trying to push his own people into economy ministry positions that oversee the cash flows of Ukraine’s vast but notoriously opaque defence and energy industries.
Abromavicius had tried to remove figures tied to vested interests from state corporations that have been bleeding money due to suspected corruption and complex offshore schemes.
“I expected this,” Abromavicius told the Novoye Vremya weekly’s website just hours after his decision to quit.
“But I expected this to come from the old interests (of ousted Russian-backed president Viktor Yanukovych) and not the new ones,” he added.
“It came as a big surprise when certain new politicians tried to get their hand on state companies.”
– ‘Western confidence low’ –
Kononenko himself denied the charges and said he was ready to step down from his senior post in Poroshenko’s parliamentary faction if his fellow deputies do not trust his work.
But some political analysts said the entire scandal had already undermined Ukraine’s reputation and threatened the disbursement of essential assistance tentatively promised by Ukraine’s Western allies and the International Monetary Fund.
“Regardless of whether Abromavicius stays or goes, this domestic political crisis is likely to have major repercussions,” Anders Aslund of the US-based Atlantic Council wrote in a report.
“The confidence of Western governments in the current Ukrainian administration is running low,” Aslund added.
“The International Monetary Fund, the United States, and the European Union had been expected to provide a total of $4 billion (3.6 billion euros) in credits later this month, but none are likely to contribute unless the Ukrainian government shows real commitment to fight corruption.”
