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Ukraine Prime Minister Ousted
The Communist-dominated parliament dismissed reform-oriented Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko and his government on Thursday, plunging the nation into political chaos.
The ouster of the most successful Cabinet since Ukraine gained independence in 1991 was likely to slow reforms in this largely impoverished country and damage its international standing.
The former Soviet republic has already been rocked by a monthslong political crisis sparked by the disappearance of a critical journalist and allegations of President Leonid Kuchma's involvement in his killing.
The parliament, or Verkhovna Rada, voted 263-69 to approve a Communist-sponsored resolution accusing Yushchenko's government of failing to improve the economy and leading the country to ruin.
The dismissal of the government will complicate the ex-Soviet republic's relations with the West, which views Yushchenko as the guarantor of reforms.
The Constitution requires the prime minister to hand his resignation to the president, and Kuchma is extremely unlikely to reject it. The Cabinet will become a caretaker government for a maximum 60 days, until a new government is formed.
The president names a new premier who then composes a list of his future ministers, subject to presidential approval. The 450-member parliament has to confirm the new premier by at least 226 votes.
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