Consideration of speaker's election postponed until Thursday due to need to agree candidate

12:59

The Verkhovna Rada has announced a break in its plenary meetings until 1000 on Thursday.

The decision received support from 300 MPs out of the 443 registered in the parliament's session hall. All MPs from the Communist Party and all but four members from the Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense Bloc voted against this decision.

Thus, the plenary meeting of the parliament was closed at 1125 on Tuesday.

First Vice Speaker Oleksandr Lavrynovych said that the decision had been taken by consent from all leaders of deputy factions due to the need to properly draft anti-crisis bills.

He said that four anti-crisis bills had already been submitted by the government for consideration by the parliament's committees.

Lavrynovych also said that the Cabinet of Ministers is also planning to submit on Tuesday a package of anti-crisis bills to the parliament.

A break in plenary meetings was also announced last Thursday so as to officially draft anti-crisis bills and formally hold talks on a candidate for a new speaker.

Only the Verkhovna Rada chairman can sign the passed laws. The parliament dismissed former speaker Arseniy Yatseniuk on November 12.

18.11.2008