Secibd faction quits Ukraine's governing coalition
Secibd faction quits Ukraine's governing coalition
Published: 08:09 pm Feb 18, 2016
MINSK: Ukraine's governing coalition no longer commands a majority in parliament, after a second faction bailed out. Thursday's move by Samopomich (Self Help), which has 26 seats in the 450-seat parliament, leaves the coalition partners with 217 votes. Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's faction withdrew from the coalition a day earlier. The two factions remaining in the coalition are led by President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. Poroshenko has urged Yatsenyuk to step down amid economic troubles and political infighting, but the premier has refused to do so and lawmakers failed to oust his Cabinet in a vote of confidence on Tuesday. The failure to create a new majority coalition would require Poroshenko to call early elections, something he has sought to avoid.