Ukraine's parliament voted on Thursday to dismiss the country's interior minister in an apparent power struggle between the country's two presidential candidates.
The removal of Yuryi Lutsenko, seen as an ally of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, was initiated by the opposition Party of Regions, led by Viktor Yanukovych.
Yanukovych won the first round of presidential elections on January 17, but did not secure a majority and faces Tymoshenko in a runoff on February 7.
The Party of Regions accused Lutsenko of fraud and political bias.
With 226 votes required, 231 MPs voted for Lutsenko's dismissal.
After the parliamentary vote, the Ukrainian government appointed Lutsenko first deputy interior minister at an extraordinary meeting, authorizing him to run the ministry.
KIEV, January 28 (RIA Novosti)
