Rada removes Yanukovych from office, schedules new elections for May 25

17:49, 22.02.2014 1 min read

Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada has decided to remove Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych from office and scheduled early presidential elections for May 25, 2014.

The decisions were supported by 328 MPs at a parliament meeting on Saturday.

"Given that Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has restrained himself from performing his constitutional duties, which threatens the governance of the state, the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, large-scale violation of human rights and freedoms of citizens, and based on the circumstances of extreme urgency, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, by way of expressing the sovereign will of the Ukrainian people, has decided to remove Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych from office for neglecting his constitutional duties and scheduled an early presidential election in Ukraine for May 25, 2014," newly elected Parliament Speaker Oleksandr Turchynov read out the text of the resolution.