Odessa region governor refuses to resign despite Poroshenko’s decree
Chairman of the Odessa Regional State Administration, Maksym Stepanov, has refused to leave his post, despite the decree of the President of Ukraine, reported the local newspaper Dumskaya after the governor’s briefing.
“The head of the Odessa Regional State Administration is in front of you, and he did not write or plan to write any statements about the resignation. A few hours ago, a decree on my dismissal from the office appeared on the president of Ukraine website. A very strange document, which, in my opinion, and the opinion of lawyers, has nothing to do with the legislation of Ukraine, “said Stepanov.
The governor clarified that Poroshenko went beyond the powers of the president defined by the Constitution since the procedure stated in the legislation was not observed during the drafting and promulgation of the decree. According to the procedure, the chairmen of local administrations can be dismissed only by the recommendation of the Cabinet of Ministers.
Stepanov also mentioned that during his last visit to Odessa last Friday, Poroshenko invited him to write his own letter of resignation.
“I refused this offer because I don’t have any desire to resign,” said the official.
A decree, dated April 6, was published on the president of Ukraine website, according to which Poroshenko dismissed Stepanov from the post of Chairman of the Odessa Regional State Administration and temporarily assigned these duties to the First Deputy, Serhiy Paraschenko.