Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Views Prime Minister's Resignation Bid As 'Political Gesture'

KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2020) Speaker of the Ukrainian parliament Dmytro Razumkov described Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk's resignation letter as a "political gesture."

On Friday, Honcharuk said he had written a letter of resignation and submitted it to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The prime minister said his decision was linked to a scandal over a leaked recording in which he allegedly criticizes Zelenskyy's understanding of economics. The president, in turn, said that he would give another chance to Honcharuk.

"If we speak about the legal aspect, the prime minister had to submit the letter [of resignation] to the Verkhovna Rada [parliament]. However, I believe it was rather a political gesture of the prime minister, and so he voiced his initiative to the president. I believe that if the president had supported the initiative, the prime minister would have addressed the Rada informing it about his resignation," Razumkov told the Ukraina 24 broadcaster.

The Ukrainian government's press service has said it has no information on whether the controversial tape with Honcharuk's critical remarks about Zelenskyy is authentic, but Honcharuk has himself said it was edited and a part of a plot organized by detractors.