KYIV, Feb 28 - Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk submitted his resignation for a second time after reports that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy might be gearing up to sack him, Ukrainian news outlet NV reported on Friday night, according to Reuters.

Honcharuk declined comment.

Zelenskiy has convened a special parliament meeting on Wednesday, which Ukrainian media reported could include discussions on government personnel changes.

Replacing Honcharuk would come at a time when confidence in Zelenskiy’s government has fallen. The former actor and comedian won a landslide election victory last year promising to end the war in the Donbass and tackle corruption.

Deputy Prime Minister Denys Shmygal could be made acting prime minister while a permanent replacement was found, NV said.

Honcharuk last week denied he had submitted his resignation or discussed his departure with Zelenskiy, but his position has been under scrutiny since the leak in January of a recording that suggested he had made unflattering comments about Zelenskiy.

Zelenskiy himself acknowledged meeting Serhiy Tihipko, a businessman and veteran politician who was touted in the Ukrainian media as a potential replacement for Honcharuk.

Any reshuffle would come just as Ukraine is trying to secure the release of billions of dollars in loans from the International Monetary Fund, which is contingent on Kiev’s progress in passing reforms and tackling graft.

Zelenskiy has also prioritized ending the war in Donbass but while he has implemented some confidence-building measures with Russia, including prisoner swaps, the conflict simmers on.

Ukrainians’ confidence in the government’s ability to tackle key issues has waned, a report by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology showed last week.

Only 25% of Ukrainians think the authorities have been successful in resolving the Donbass conflict compared to 40% in December, it said. About 83% said the fight against high-level corruption had been unsuccessful compared to 76% in December.

Support for Honcharuk fell to 8% from 12% over the same period, while 33% have a negative view of him now.

In Ukraine, it is parliament that has the power to appoint and fire the prime minister and the government. Zelenskiy’s Servant of the People party has a majority in the chamber, meaning Zelenskiy could sack Honcharuk without needing the approval of other political parties. (rt/ez)