Ukraine parliament accepts PM Oleksiy Honcharuk's resignation

Ukraine's Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has accepted the resignation of the country's Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk after six months in the position.

Subsequently, Denys Shmygal has been appointed as the country's new prime minister during an extraordinary session here, reported Sputnik.

The decision to appoint Shmygal was supported by 291 lawmakers with the required minimum of 226 votes.

According to Ukraine's Constitution, the resignation of the Prime Minister entails the resignation of all members of the government.

President Volodymyr Zelensky in his speech ahead of the voting said that 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.

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

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

The 35-year-old Honcharuk took the post of the Prime Minister on Aug 29 last year.