(VOVworld) – The 8th Ukrainian parliament convened its first session on Thursday and elected Volodymyr Groysman, a member of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s Bloc, as the new speaker. A total of 359 MPs endorsed this decision. Two new vice speakers will be named next Tuesday.
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| Mr Poroshenko shakes hands with Mr Yatsenyuk (right) and the new speaker, Volodymyr Groysman (left). (Photo: AFP) |
Earlier, 5 parties in the new Ukrainian parliament - the Petro Poroshenko’s Bloc, the Self-Reliance Party, the People’s Front Party, the Radical Party, and the Fatherland Party - formed a coalition called “European Ukraine” with 302 seats. The coalition will give priority to ensuring Ukraine’s defense and economic recovery, and the rights and freedoms of Ukrainians.