Consultations on possible candidates for the position of Ukrainian prime minister are under way now, and President Viktor Yanukovych may make a decision next week, Oleksandr Yefremov, the leader of the Party of Regions parliamentary faction, has said.

"You know, the president has 60 days from the moment of [the prime minister's] resignation to make a decision on the matter. Consultations related to this are going on today," Yefremov said at a news conference on Wednesday.

"It seems to me that the president might express his viewpoint next week," he said.

The Ukrainian government press service reported on January 28 that Mykola Azarov had resigned as prime minister. The same day, President Viktor Yanukovych accepted Azarov's and the government's resignation and instructed the government members to continue performing their duties until a new government could start work.