The Ukrainian parliament rejected last Thursday the candidacy of Volodymyr Ohryzko for the post of foreign minister and of Viktor Korol for the post of Ukrainian Security Service head, proposed by Yushchenko.
The decision was the latest episode in an ongoing struggle between pro-presidential and pro-premier factions in the country, which over the past six months has seen several ministers appointed by President Yushchenko and then dismissed by the Supreme Rada, where the pro-Russian Party of Regions, led by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, holds a majority.
"I will insist on these candidacies, although I will certainly hold a second round of relevant discussions," Yushchenko said earlier, adding that recent antagonisms between the executive and legislative branches of power threatened the stability of the Ukrainian state.
Under Ukrainian law, the president has the right to propose both candidates to the parliament for a second time.
On January 1, 2006, Ukraine shifted from a presidential-parliamentary to a parliamentary-presidential form of governance, after amendments adopted by the Supreme Rada in December 2004 came into force.
As a result, some presidential powers were transferred to the country's parliament and to the Cabinet.
