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GISMETEO.RU
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President says he may ax finance minister
Journal Staff Report

KIEV, May 18 – President Viktor Yanukovych warned that he may fire Finance Minister Fedir Yaroshenko if the ministry fails to support Ukraine’s shipbuilding industry through state financing.

Yanukovych made the comment while visiting a major shipbuilding company in the Mykolaiv region the same day he announced the dismissal of Healthcare Minister Illia Yemets.

“Fedir Oleksiyovych [Yaroshenko], taking into account that I have raised an axe over you, think all the time to make sure I don’t drop it,” Yanukovych said, addressing Yaroshenko over problems with state financing for the shipbuilding sector.

“I am serious,” Yanukovych said. “Programs like that must be taken under your supervision. If you make one step away, consider you’ve made a mistake that other people will be fixing it.”

This is the second criticism of Yaroshenko on the post of the finance minister in less than two months, underscoring Yanukovych’s unease over the ministry’s performance.

The comment comes amid rumors that the government may soon be reshuffled with a number of ministers to be replaced.

The developments come as opinion polls have indicated that Yanukovych’s popularity has been falling fast, threatening his Regions Party ahead of the October 2012 general election.

Yemets was dismissed for promoting an independent policy that has been irritating some powerful people in the government, according to people with knowledge.

Yemets submitted his resignation on Friday following a heavy criticism from Yanukovych of the healthcare sector, according to people familiar with the situation.

Oleksandr Anishchenko, a deputy healthcare minister, may be appointed to the vacant post, Volodymyr Karpuk, a lawmaker and a member of the healthcare committee in Parliament, said.

Anishchenko, 51, before his appointment in December 2010, worked for almost seven years as the head of the healthcare department at the Donetsk regional government. Anishchenko is a long-time member of the Donets political clan and the appointment will be political, strengthening the Donetsk clan in the government.

Yemets was appointed to the post in December 2010 to replace Zinoviy Mytnyk.

The replacement came after a conflict within the government after the healthcare ministry had challenged the rest of the Cabinet by pursuing a heavily anti-tobacco agenda at an international conference last year. The finance ministry was concerned that restricting the tobacco industry would cost dearly to the budget. (tl/ez)




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