Ukraine's parliament accepts resignation of PM

Ukraine's Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, accepted the resignation of the country's Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk after six months in the position, the Parliament's press service reported on Wednesday.

The decision was supported by 353 deputies with a required minimum of 226 votes after the head of the government offered his resignation on Tuesday. According to the Constitution of Ukraine, the resignation of the prime minister entails the resignation of all members of the government.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, in his speech before the voting, said the government under Honcharuk's leadership had certain achievements but also made some mistakes.

"Let's be objective - this Government has achievements. This is a reduction in inflation, fighting against shadow markets, in particular gambling and illegal gas stations, the start of the privatization of state-owned enterprises, ... reduction of the state's role in the economy. But the truth is that today this is not enough for Ukrainians," Zelensky said.

Zelensky noted that the state budget failed to receive 16 billion hryvnias (643 million U.S. dollars) over the last two months, while the business circles have been complaining about the continuous smugglings.

The president also spoke about the industry declining by 5 percent, which has been going on for four consecutive months. The government has not provided tools that stimulate domestic production and new production capacities.

The government reshuffle came as Honcharuk's approval ratings have dropped significantly.

During the recent polls conducted by the Rating sociological group, the head of the government received only 20 percent support rate.

The 35-year-old Honcharuk, who took the post of the prime minister on Aug 29, 2019, after Zelensky's nomination received the support of the President's Servant of the People party that dominates the Parliament.