Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has resigned. This was reported by the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers.
"In order to create additional opportunities for socio- political compromise and for the sake of peaceful resolution of the conflict, I have made the personal decision to ask the President of Ukraine to accept my resignation from the post of prime minister of Ukraine," Azarov said in a statement.
Azarov has headed the government since the election of President Viktor Yanukovych in 2010.
According to the Constitution of Ukraine, the resignation of the prime minister entails resignation of the entire government. The government, the resignation of which Yanukovych has accepted, will continue to perform its functions until a new Cabinet of Ministers takes office, but not for longer than sixty days.
Mass protests against the economic and civil policies of the ruling Party of the Regions have been taking place in the country for more than two months.
During negotiations with the opposition a few days ago, President Viktor Yanukovych offered the Batkivschyna parliamentary faction’s leader Arsenii Yatseniuk the post of prime minister and the UDAR party’s leader Vitali Klitschko the post of deputy prime minister for humanitarian affairs. However, the opposition rejected these offers.
