KIEV, April 21 – Prime Minister Mykola Azarov survived a no-confidence vote on Friday and will now have six months to continue his policies before opposition groups can again initiate the motion.

The no-confidence resolution was supported by 190 lawmakers in the 450-seat Parliament, falling short of the 226 votes that had been required to topple the government.

“Even a first grader knew there would not be enough votes,” Oleksandr Yefremov, the leader of the ruling Regions Party, said after the vote. “Now, the government can work calmly.”

The vote is a setback for Arseniy Yatseniuk, the leader of the largest opposition party Batkivshchyna, who had been pushing hard for the motion.

Yatseniuk, along with Vitaliy Klichko, the leader of the Udar party, the second largest opposition group, are two likely candidates to run for presidency at election in March 2015. Klichko did not attend the session on Friday.

“We realize that this government corrupts politicians and will cling to the last thing… to continue to plunder the country,” Yatseniuk said before the vote. “This vote will be revealing.”

“We will see the real level of the government’s support,” Yatseniuk said. “Those who vote against the motion are the ones who support the Cabinet, unemployment, corruption, increasing retirement age, the closure of 900 schools and 300 hospitals.”

Three opposition groups, Batkivshchyna, Udar and Svoboda, do not control majority in Parliament, so they relied on backing from the Communist Party and independent lawmakers in an attempt to dismiss the government.

Two thirds of the Communist Party’s group in Parliament – 21 lawmakers – backed the motion, while the remaining 11 lawmakers had failed to show up at the session.

“There were some very serious reasons for my comrades to miss the session,” Petro Symonenko, the leader of the Communist Party, said responding to criticism that the party may have de-facto wanted the government to survive the vote.

Symonenko attacked Yatseniuk for failing to communicate with the Communist Party over the motion, which he says was doomed from the start.

“Those who have initiated the motion are either adventurists or have no idea what they are doing,” Symonenko said. “First, they did not consult us, and second, they do not have 226 votes.”

Yatseniuk also comes under fire from fellow opposition lawmakers as at least seven Batkivshchyna lawmakers had failed to show up at the session, along with seven lawmakers from the Udar party.

“All party lawmakers were mobilized,” Yatseniuk said responding to the criticism. “Some were in hospital, some got sick, those who were in the session hall have voted for the motion.”

Yatseniuk said the party will again initiate the motion, but did not provide details.

“We will initiate this issue again,” Yatseniuk said. (tl/ez)