Substantial Cabinet Reshuffle in Ukraine ‘All But Inevitable’ in 2016

Ukraine will likely undergo major political changes in 2016, during which the government will potentially replace Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, according to the report of the US-based geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Significant political changes are expected to take place in Ukraine this year, possibly leading to the replacement of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the US-based geopolitical intelligence firm Stratfor said in a report released on Thursday.

"Ukraine will likely undergo major political changes in 2016, during which the government will potentially replace Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk," the report stated. "Regardless of the prime minister's fate, a substantial Cabinet reshuffle is all but inevitable."

Stratfor argued that many Ukrainians, including ones in government, have become dissatisfied with because of a major economic crisis affecting the country, as well as the slow pace and ineffectiveness of reforms.

The smaller political parties in the ruling coalition, Stratfor noted, have tried to distance themselves from Yatsenyuk, whose popularity has been steadily declining.

On January 31, the Self Reliance Party threatened to leave Ukraine's ruling coalition if the country’s parliament does not hold a no-confidence vote on Yatsenyuk.

"The Ukrainian government will have to make changes to survive, regardless," Stratfor concluded.

On Thursday, the head of the European Union delegation to Ukraine, Jan Tombinski, said Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will hold a meeting with ambassadors from the G7 group of countries to discuss the future of the Ukrainian government, as well as ongoing reforms.