Ukraine government dissolved as Poroshenko announces snap elections

Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko has dissolved parliament and will hold elections Oct. 26. The dissolution of parliament follows the July 24 collapse of the Moscow-backed governing coalition in Ukraine, which had seen the rise of separatist rebellions for months. The conflict has left more than 2,000 civilians dead and at least 726 Ukrainian servicemen, according to The Associated Press, while an estimate for the number of rebel dead has not surfaced.

I have decided to terminate the powers of Verkhovna Rada [Ukraine’s parliament] early. The new parliament will be elected on October 26, 2014.

Statement on Petro Poroshenko’s website

The country has been mired with an unstable economy for months, as a result of the ongoing fighting in its eastern regions. Despite a multibillion-euro lifeline provided by the International Monetary Fund, reforms failed to take shape. Poroshenko also met persistent pushback from the parliament, which had been populated with supporters of former President Viktor Yanukovych. The elections in October could win the pro-Europe Poroshenko and his liberal supporters more support for their strategy against Russia.

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