The Ukrainian parliament dismissed Prime Minister Yury Yekhanurov and the government he leads on Tuesday over the gas deal with Russia less than three months ahead of the country's parliamentary vote.

 

A total of 250 lawmakers voted for the resolution to dismiss Yekhanurov's government with immediate effect, exceeding the 226 votes needed for the resolution to pass through. The parliament ordered Yekhanurov and his government to continue functioning until a new government is formed.

 

Ukrainian lawmakers accused Yekhanurov's government of "betraying national interests" by signing a deal with Russia on gas supplies, which dramatically heightened the price of gas for Ukraine.

 

Russia and Ukraine struck a five-year deal on gas supply on Wednesday. Under the deal, Russia will sell gas for US$230 per 1,000 cubic meters to the Rosukrenergo trading company, which will mix Russian gas with cheaper gas from Central Asia and sell the blend to Ukraine for US$95 per 1,000 cubic meters.

 

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, who was in Kazakhstan's capital Astana for President Nursultan Nazarbayev's inauguration ceremony, called the parliament's dismissal of Yekhanurov's government as "illegal and unconstitutional" and said he may dissolve the parliament.

 

Yekhanurov was sworn in September after Yushchenko sacked the prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

 

Ukrainians will go to the polls for the parliamentary elections on March 26.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 11, 2006)