Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada of the ninth convocation at its first meeting on August 29 has approved the composition of the new government. The Cabinet of Ministers of Volodymyr Groysman is replaced by the Cabinet of Ministers of Oleksiy Honcharuk would work in Ukraine. Here is the new ministerial corpus.

Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk chaired the new government. MPs also dismissed Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko and appointed his successor Ruslan Ryaboshapka. The lawmakers also made a hallmark decision to lift the parliamentary immunity from themselves.

Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk presented the team that ran for respective offices in the government; MPs voted to fire the previous government and approved the composition of the new Cabinet.

The list of the new ministers is as follows:

Dmytro Kuleba - Vice Prime Minister for European and Atlantic integration;

Mykhailo Fedorov - Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine/Minister for Digital Transformation;

Tymofiy Milovanov - Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture;

Oksana Markarova - Finance Minister;

Oleksiy Orzhel - Minister of Energy and Environment Protection;

Vladyslav Krykliy - Minister of Infrastructure;

Olena Babak - Minister of Development of Communities and Territories;

Related: Andriy Zahorodnyuk becomes Defense Minister of Ukraine

Anna Novosad - Minister of Education and Science;

Zoryana Skaletska (Chernenko) - Minister of Healthcare;

Volodymyr Borodiansky - Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports;

Yulia Sokolovska - Social Policy Minister;

Arsen Avakov - Minister of Internal Affairs;

Oksana Kolyada - Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced People;

Related: Zelensky's address to MPs on first work day of new Ukrainian Parliament

Dmytro Dubilet - Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers;

Denys Malyus'ka - Justice Minister.

Earlier, the Parliament approved Oleksiy Honcharuk as the Prime Minister, Andriy Zahorodniuk as Defense Minister, Vadym Prystaiko as Foreign Minister and Ivan Bakanov as the Head of the SBU, Ukraine's State Security Service.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky proposes to let the government implement the parliamentary control through ombudspersons of the Verkhovna Rada in specific spheres. The appropriate document No. 1016 is already submitted for consideration to the Verkhovna Rada. It is noted that the new legislation requires to change articles 81 and 101 of the Constitution of Ukraine.

It is suggested providing to the parliament authorities to apply and dismiss ombudsmen of the Verkhovna Rada observing the Constitution of Ukraine and the Law in separate spheres. The bill proposes to set that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine can apply the ombudspersons for the implementation of parliamentary control the legal status of whom will be defined by separate laws.

Such changes will provide more effective mechanism of the parliamentary control over the observance of human rights and freedoms, as one person who is obliged to implement the obligations cannot do it independently as efficiently as possible.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky offered the Verkhovna Rada to reduce the number of the lawmakers from 450 to 300 people as draft law on the amendments to the Constitution #1017 states.

The law will come into force immediately but will start to work after the election of the new membership of the parliament. Thus, elected Verkhovna Rada will be able to work in the current membership and the new one will consist of 300 MPs.

Moreover, it is offered to establish that the elections should take place on the proportional representation system.

It is planned to enshrined in Article 76 that “the Constitutional membership of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine – 300 MPs of Ukraine”.

The president offers to provide that the lawmakers should speak the state language.

Head of the state Volodymyr Zelensky defined this bill as urgent.

On August 29, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky says he would disband the newly shaped Parliament in a year - in case it fails to live up to the expectations of fellow Ukrainians. 

President Zelensky submits draft law about organization of state defense for Parliament's consideration. Zelensky wants also National Guard to be separated from MIA and subordinated to President.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky asked the Verkhovna Rada to transfer authority of the National Guard of Ukraine from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) to the President. The Commander will be appointed or dismissed by the President of Ukraine. The draft law No. 1007 is submitted for consideration by the Verkhovna Rada as urgent.

"The activity of the National Guard of Ukraine is directed by the President of Ukraine through the Commander of the Guard who has direct supervision of Ukraine's National Guard," the document reads.

However, the Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine will be appointed to the office and dismissed only by the President of Ukraine, but after submission of Minister of the Interior. 

Besides, it is proposed to change the Law of Ukraine about the National Guard of Ukraine in the part where it is stated that NGU is the military subdivision with enforcement functions, which is part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The new edition suggests deleting the information that NGU is included in the MIA. 

In conclusion, President Zelenski has now all the necessary tools for a new start of reforms in Ukraine and for reconfiguring its role at the external / regional level.