Poroshenko’s Bloc Wants Ukraine’s Top Prosecutor to Resign – Party Member

The largest faction of the Ukrainian parliament, the Petro Poroshenko Bloc, has decided to support the resignation of Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin, member of the president’s party Volodymyr Aryev said Monday.

KIEV (Sputnik) — Presidential spokesman Sviatoslav Tseholko said Friday that Shokin had sent his letter of resignation to the presidential administration. A parliamentary vote on the issue is scheduled to be held on Tuesday.

"The Petro Poroshenko Bloc has decided to vote for the resignation of attorney general. The vote has been determined as compulsory," Aryev said on Twitter.

Фракція БПП ухвалила рішення проголосувати за відставку генпрокурора. Голосування за визначено обов'язковим.

— Volodymyr Ariev (@VolodymyrAriev) March 28, 2016

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Last week, Poroshenko said in a statement he had asked Shokin to resign from his post. The US Department of State praised the president's intention to replace prosecutor general, stating that it showed how serious Kiev was about implementing reforms in the country. The political reforms are a part of Ukraine's deal with its international lenders.

In February, the Petro Poroshenko Bloc said it considered the work of the government in 2015 unsatisfactory, and supported the vote to dissolve the government. Poroshenko has also called for resignation of Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk, but the parliament has failed to pass a resolution of no-confidence on the issue.