KYIV – Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said he will take part in the October parliamentary elections with a party other than that of incumbent President Petro Poroshenko, who was defeated by comic and political newcomer Volodymyr Zelensky in the presidential election’s runoff on April 21.
In a broadcast on the ICTV channel on April 22, Mr. Groysman said he would contest the parliamentary elections with “new political forces.”
“Clearly, it will be a political force that unites people with good reputation, people who don’t just talk but are capable of doing real things,” Mr. Groysman said, adding that he wants “to be active, fight for ideas, and implement them.”
Mr. Groysman became a lawmaker in 2014 as a member of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc party. In November of that year, he became the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and since April 2016 has been prime minister.
Mr. Groysman is expected to stay in power until the October election. If President-elect Zelensky wins enough seats in Parliament, he is expected to form a new government.
Meanwhile, outgoing President Poroshenko vowed to remain in politics and said publicly that his successor has “strong opposition” in the Verkhovna Rada.
Addressing thousands of supporters in Kyiv on April 22, Mr. Poroshenko promised to reclaim the presidency in elections-to-come and told his backers: “Together we will go into the parliamentary elections.”
Mr. Poroshenko’s party and its allies control the current Parliament.
Observers say Mr. Zelensky might try to disband the national legislature and call early elections.
With reporting by ICTV, Reuters and AP.
Copyright 2019, RFE/RL Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington DC 20036; www.rferl.org (see https://www.rferl.org/a/ukrainian-pm-to-contest-upcoming-elections-with-new-political-forces-/29899303.html).