President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Announces Dissolution of Ukraine’s Parliament

The newly inaugurated President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he would dissolve the current Verkhovna Rada. This means early parliamentary elections will take place in Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially assumed office today after swearing oath in front of the Ukrainian MPs and international officials in the Verkhovna Rada building.

During his inauguration speech, he also urged deputies to adopt laws on the removal of parliamentary immunity, criminal liability for illegal enrichment, to approve the Electoral Code, and make party lists open ahead of the parliamentary elections, He also called for dismissals of the head of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) Vasyl Hrytsak, Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, and Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak. Poltorak has since resigned.

READ MORE: How Zelenskyy's Team Plans to Deal with Ukraine's Most Crucial Sector – Defense

You will have two months to do this. Do it and hang a medal for yourself. I am dissolving the Verkhovna Rada of the eighth convocation. Glory to Ukraine!

According to RBC Ukraine, MP Valeriy Karpuntsov stated that Zelenskyy will gather factions this evening to discuss the dissolution of the Parliament and issue the respective decree.

He also called on the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine "to take pen and paper and think about the future generations, not about the elections".

READ MORE: Full Text of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's First Speech as President of Ukraine

Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Andriy Parubiy ended the parliamentary session with the words "it was fun". Hromadske provided a live broadcast of the inauguration.