The Verkhovna Rada has removed the obstacle, which prevents its speaker from being elected president of Ukraine, Dmytro Razumkov, a Ukrainian parliament deputy relieved of duties as the Verkhovna Rada speaker, said.

"The presidential election has yet to begin. What were they saying? They were saying that none of the Verkhovna Rada speakers had ever become the president. We removed the obstacle today. Let us wait and see what happens," Razumkov said at a press briefing on Thursday, in response to a question whether he had presidential ambitions.

"I am definitely not planning my retirement. My health is good enough. I will move on," Razumkov said.

In his opinion, the Servant of the People party has neither the grounds nor possibility to deprive him of a parliament seat.

"Speaking of legal norms, the Servant of the People party has neither the grounds nor possibility," Razumkov said.

Regretfully, not everything has been done consistent with the law lately, he said.

Razumkov said in a report before the vote on his removal from office that the Verkhovna Rada should remain a point of equilibrium and balance, irrespective of external factors, and noted that deputies are responsible for doing so before the voters and the state.

"In any storm and hurricane, the Ukrainian parliament should remain the safeguard it has been in our history and a point of equilibrium and balance. That will depend on every one of us [deputies], there will be no collective responsibility, there will only be responsibility to the country and the people. It's personal responsibility for what our country will be like in the future," Razumkov said.

No matter who becomes the speaker, the Verkhovna Rada should remain a subjective institution, or else democracy and parliamentarianism may be lost and power may be usurped, he said.