The second Yatsenyuk government was created in Ukraine after the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election. On 2 December 2014, 288 members (of the 423Parliamentary elections not to be held at nine constituencies in Donetsk region and six constituencies in Luhansk region - CEC, Interfax-Ukraine (25 October 2014)) of the Ukrainian parliament approved the composition of the cabinet. The Government was backed by (the political parties) Petro Poroshenko Bloc, People's Front, Self Reliance, Fatherland and Radical Party.
Radical Party left the coalition on 1 September 2015.
After Fatherland and Self Reliance left the coalition on 17 and 18 February 2016 the coalition became 5 deputies short of the 226 needed. It was then disputed that Radical Party had left the coalition until on 29 March 2016 it was officially announced in parliament that on September 1, 2015, Radical Party had left the coalition.
On 10 April 2016 Prime Minister Yatsenyuk announced he resigned. On 14 April 2016 Yatsenyuk was replaced by new Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman and thus the Groysman Government became the next cabinet of Ukraine.
History Formation The morning after the 26 October 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election the Petro Poroshenko Bloc and the People's Front started negotiations on forming a parliamentary coalition.Negotiations on forming parliament coalition begin in Ukraine, Interfax-Ukraine (27 October 2014) 226 votes are needed to form a simple majority in the Verkhovna Rada.Poroshenko Bloc candidates leading in 64 single-seat constituencies - CEC, Interfax-Ukraine (27.10.2014) Late 27 October preliminary results indicated that both parties had won (together) 207 seats.Poroshenko Bloc to have greatest number of seats in parliament , Ukrainian Television and Radio (8 November 2014)People's Front 0.33% ahead of Poroshenko Bloc with all ballots counted in Ukraine elections - CEC, Interfax-Ukraine (8 November 2014)Poroshenko Bloc to get 132 seats in parliament - CEC, Interfax-Ukraine (8 November 2014)Poroshenko Bloc candidates leading in 64 single-seat constituencies - CEC, Interfax-Ukraine (27 October 2014) By 30 October 2014 Self Reliance, Fatherland and the Radical Party were also involved in negotiations.Poroshenko and Yatsenyuk's parties maneuver for lead role in coalition , Kyiv Post (29 October 2014)President, PM and Samopomich Party leader discuss Rada coalition, Interfax-Ukraine (30 October 2014)Batkivschyna reports constructive talks between Poroshenko, Tymoshenko on coalition formation, Interfax-Ukraine (30 October 2014)Liashko says he had talk with president on coalition formation issues, Interfax-Ukraine (31 October 2014) On 31 October 2014, the Petro Poroshenko Bloc, the People's Front and Self Reliance formed "a joint trilateral group and that we will begin professional talks on our joint work, including on the drafting of a coalition agreement". According to deputy prime minister Volodymyr Groysman of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc his party was open to the possibility of Fatherland and the Radical Party joining this coalition.Poroshenko Bloc, People's Front, Samopomich begin talks on forming new coalition - Hroisman, Interfax-Ukraine (31 October 2014) The same day the Petro Poroshenko Bloc stated it supported the candidacy of the People's Front's Arseniy Yatsenyuk (who was Prime Minister at the time) as Prime Minister of Ukraine.Poroshenko nominates Yatseniuk for premier's post – Twitter, Interfax-Ukraine (31 October 2014)Poroshenko Bloc backs Yatseniuk as candidate for prime minister - party statement, Interfax-Ukraine (31 October 2014)Friends For Now: Can Poroshenko, Yatsenyuk work together?, Kyiv Post (30 October 2014)
On 21 November 2014, Petro Poroshenko Bloc, People's Front, Self Reliance, Fatherland and the Radical Party signed a coalition agreement.Five political forces sign coalition agreement, Interfax-Ukraine (21 November 2014)Ukraine's parliamentary parties initial coalition agreement, Interfax-Ukraine (21 November 2014)
On 27 November 2014, at the opening session of the new parliament, these 5 parliamentary factions formed a parliamentary coalition of 302 deputies.Five factions form Verkhovna Rada coalition, Interfax-Ukraine (27 November 2014)Poroshenko guesses parliamentary coalition to be slightly larger, Interfax-Ukraine (27 November 2014)Governing coalition formed in parliament, UNIAN (27 November 2014) Following this Arseniy Yatsenyuk was confirmed as prime minister by 341 votes.
On 2 December 2014, Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko granted citizenship to Natalie Jaresko, Alexander Kvitashvili and Aivaras Abromavičius, who were all potential ministers in the government.Poroshenko orders to grant citizenship to Jaresko, Kvitashvili and Abromavicius, Interfax-Ukraine (2 December 2014)Foreign technocrats given Ukrainian citizenship before cabinet vote, Reuters (2 December 2014) Later that day Jaresko, Kvitashvili and Abromavičius were confirmed as the Minister of Finance, Health and Economy.
Parliamentary voting The approval of the composition of the government was marred by some last-minute delay and controversy when a group of deputies demanded that ministers be approved on an individual basis.Ukraine parliament approves new government, Associated Press (2 December 2014) This caused hours of debate, however, the government was approved in the proposed form by 288 deputies (of the 423).
For the candidacy of the prime minister of Ukraine, 341 members of parliament voted for Arseniy Yatsenyuk.
Faction Number of members Yes No Abstained Did not vote Absent Petro Poroshenko Bloc 143 People's Front 83 Opposition Bloc 40 Non-affiliated 38 Self Reliance 32 Radical Party 22 People's Will 20 Fatherland 19 Economic Development 19 All factions 416
Additional decisions Proposals Yes No Abstained Did not vote TotalThe composition of the Cabinet of Ministers of UkraineIndividual voting. Verkhovna Rada. December 2, 2014 339Appointment of Poltorak as Defense MinisterIndividual voting. Verkhovna Rada. December 2, 2014 308Appointment of Klimkin as Foreign Affairs MinisterIndividual voting. Verkhovna Rada. December 2, 2014 383
Radical Party leaving coalition Radical Party left the coalition on 1 September 2015 in protest over a vote in parliament involving a change to the Ukrainian Constitution that would lead to decentralization and greater powers for areas held by pro-Russian separatists.Ukraine Radical Party Quits Ruling Coalition After Deadly Clash, Bloomberg News (1 September 2015) The same day Radical Party's Vice Prime Minister Valeriy Voshchevsky tendered in his resignation.Ukrainian parliament accepts Deputy PM Voschevsky's resignation, Interfax-Ukraine (17 September 2015) Parliament accepted the resignation on 17 September 2015; after failing to pass the motion four times on 15 September 2015.
Fall February 2016 saw the start of the fall of the cabinet after economy minister Aivaras Abromavičius announced his resignation claiming the government did not have a real commitment to fight corruption.
16 February 2016 no-confidence vote and Fatherland and Self Reliance leaving the coalition On 16 February 2016, president Petro Poroshenko asked Prime Minister Yatsenyuk to resign. Also on 16 February 2016 the government managed to survive a vote of no confidence from the Ukrainian parliament.Ukraine crisis: PM Yatsenyuk survives no-confidence vote, BBC News (16 February 2016)
The next day Fatherland left the coalition since it believed that the previous day had shown that the government had turned into a "shadow clan-political coalition" that "doesn't want to carry out reforms".Batkivschyna faction pulls out of coalition, UNIAN (17 February 2016)Batkivshchyna faction leaves ruling coalition, Kyiv Post (17 February 2016) Fatherland would have liked the next government to be a technocratic government. Tymoshenko wants Yatsenyuk's resignation or early elections, Ukrayinska Pravda (17 February 2016) Self Reliance then (also on 17 February 2016) issued an official statement on its Facebook page in which it argued "A cynical coup has occurred in Ukraine, with the help of the president, the prime minister, the kleptocratic part of the coalition, and the oligarch bloc" that led to the second Yatsenyuk government being an "illegitimate government". The next day Self Reliance left the coalition; meaning that the coalition became 5 deputies short of the 226 needed.Samopomich pulls out from ruling coalition in parliament, Interfax-Ukraine (18 February 2016) "Self" comes from the coalition, Ukrayinska Pravda (18 February 2016) Under Ukrainian law parliament has 30 days to form a new coalition after a Government coalition collapses; if it can not produce a new coalition new elections are needed.Ukraine's ruling coalition collapses, Xinhua News Agency (18 February 2016) But on 19 February 2016 First Deputy Chairman of parliament Andriy Parubiy stated that since the Parliamentary Speaker had not officially announced in parliament that Radical Party had left the coalition this party was still a part of the parliamentary coalition. Paruby: Coalition acts are more than 226 signatures, Ukrayinska Pravda (19 February 2016) Also on 19 February 2016 Radical Party leader Oleh Lyashko stated in parliament that the Parliamentary Chairman had received a letter that announced that the Radical Party had left the coalition. Lyashko showed evidence of exit from the coalition and the proposed new format, Ukrayinska Pravda (19 February 2016) It was officially announced in parliament that on 31 September 2015 Radical Party had left the coalition on 29 March 2016.Liashko faction officially quits coalition, UNIAN (29 March 2016)
Vote of no confidence results Faction Number of members Yes No Abstained Did not vote Absent Petro Poroshenko Bloc 136 People's Front 81 Non-affiliated 51 Opposition Bloc 43 Self Reliance 26 Revival 23 Radical Party 21 People's Will 20 Fatherland 19 All factions 420
Final days of cabinet On 10 April 2016 Yatsenyuk announced that he would resign as Prime Minister and would ask parliament to fire him on 12 April 2016.Ukrainian PM Yatsenyuk resigns, UNIAN (10 April 2016)Ukraine Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk to resign, BBC News (10 April 2016) He added that his own party (People's Front) "remains in the coalition because today it is the only way to defend the state." On 25 March 2016 Parliamentary Speaker Volodymyr Groysman had been nominated by coalition partner Petro Poroshenko Bloc to replace Yatsenyuk.Ukraine's president settles on a PM candidate, Politico Europe (25 March 2016) On 12 April parliament did not held a vote on Yatsenyuk's resignation, because (Yatsenyuk's party) People's Front and Petro Poroshenko Bloc could not agree on the forming of a new government.Ukraine: Lawmakers end session without new PM vote, BBC News (12 April 2016) On 14 April 2016 parliament did hold a vote on his resignation resulting in Yatsenyuk being replaced by new Prime Minister Groysman and his Groysman Government.
Composition Under the Constitution of Ukraine the Ukrainian president submits nominations to parliament for the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs and minister of defense. On 2 December 2014, President Petro Poroshenko proposed that the Verkhovna Rada reappoint Pavlo Klimkin and Stepan Poltorak for these posts.Poroshenko proposes reappointing Klimkin and Poltorak as foreign and defense ministers, Interfax-Ukraine (2 December 2014) The same day Poltorak was reappointed as Minister of Defense by 347 People's Deputies of Ukraine and Klimkin as Minister of Foreign Affairs by 351 votes. A few hours later 288 Deputies (of the 423) approved the composition of other ministers in one vote.