During wartime, government officials should focus on saving the country, not on their own approval ratings, therefore members of the current and future Cabinets of Ministers must declare that they will not run in the next parliamentary elections, according to Chairman of Kyiv Security Forum and Prime Minister of Ukraine (2014-2016) Arseniy Yatsenyuk. He made these remarks while speaking with journalists after the roundtable discussion titled "35 Years of Restored Independence: Unity Around the Flag," organized by Kyiv Security Forum (KSF) in Kyiv on Friday.
"There is an ongoing discussion about the need to form a "government of national unity" or a "government of national salvation." I believe that any Ukrainian government formed after the start of the war is a wartime government. To ensure that government officials do not focus on their approval ratings and elections, I believe that members of the current and future governments must publicly declare, until the war ends, that they will not participate in the next parliamentary elections. And this should become part of national legislation," Yatsenyuk said, responding to a question from an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent regarding expectations for the new government.
According to him, this will allow government officials to make decisions necessary for the country without regard to political prospects.
In addition, the former prime minister noted that the Cabinet of Ministers must submit to parliament a clear action plan designed for a specific time frame.
"The Ukrainian government must present an action plan to parliament. There must be a clear 12-month action plan for the government. Specifically, what will the current government and members of the Cabinet of Ministers do over the next 12 months so that parliament can evaluate their performance?" he said.
Yatsenyuk also said Ukraine needs a broader framework for consolidation to succeed.
"The government alone is not enough. To win, we need a government of national unity. This means all branches of government-the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, the office of the president, and the country’s military leadership. This is the government of national unity supported by the people of Ukraine," the KSF head said.
