Yuriy Yekhanurov - Prime Minister

Prime Minister

On September 8, 2005 Yekhanurov was appointed Acting Prime Minister by President Viktor Yushchenko, after the President had sacked the previous Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. He was succeeded by Victor Yanukovich on August 4, 2006. Yekhanurov's candidacy was hotly contested in parliament, most notably by former Prime Minister and Yushchenko's ally Yulia Tymoshenko. His confirmation required two rounds of voting; in the first round on September 20, 2005, Yekhanurov was only three votes short of the 226 needed for approval. On September 22, 2005, after negotiations between President Yushchenko and opposition groups, he was approved by 289 deputies out of 339 present. The CPU and SDPU(o) factions abstained from voting.

Yekhanurov was widely regarded as an experienced administrator, a caretaker rather than a politician. Like Yushchenko, he is a supporter of economic liberalization and privatisation, but opposed "reprivatization" of previously sold companies that were thought to have been privatized illegally under the administration of President Leonid Kuchma.

Yekhanurov government lost a vote of no confidence on January 10, 2006 but stayed in power until the parliamentary election two months later.

After the signing of a coalition agreement (June 22, 2006) by the political parties behind the "Orange Revolution" it was agreed that Yulia Tymoshenko would be restored as Prime Minister of Ukraine after nearly three months of negotiating and political uncertainty. Yulia Tymoshenko election was expected to be only a formality but opposition members (Party of Regions & Communist Party of Ukraine) blocked the parliament from Thursday, June 29, 2006 till Thursday, July 6, 2006 because they felt they hadn't got enough chairmen in parliamentary committees Yekhanurov was skeptical about the new government and he wanted the Party of Regions to be a part of the new government He felt that would have been better for the stability of Ukraine.