KIEV, Oct. 7 – President Viktor Yanukovych’s powers appear set to further increase to gain total and unilateral control over law enforcement agencies in Ukraine as a result of legislation approved in Parliament on Thursday.
The legislation, known as the Law on the Cabinet of Ministers, was approved by 252 lawmakers in the 450-seat Parliament and comes a week after the Constitutional Court changed Ukraine’s constitution overnight by nullifying amendments that had weakened the presidency.
The legislation, which must be signed by the president, would allow Yanukovych to dismiss the Prosecutor General without asking for Parliament’s approval. This makes the top law enforcer completely dependent on the president.
The legislation would also allow Yanukovych to appoint and to dismiss the chief of the SBU security service without Parliament’s approval.
It would also allow Yaukovych to unilaterally appoint and to dismiss governors of 25 Ukrainian regions, scrapping an earlier clause that had required the government to make the nomination.
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