KIEV, January 10 (RIA Novosti) - The Ukrainian parliament, the Supreme Rada, voted in favor Tuesday of dismissing Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov's government.
The Rada has the right to dismiss the government and appoint a new cabinet under amendments to the Ukrainian Constitution that came into force on January 1, 2006.
A total of 250 out of 450 deputies voted for a motion to fire the government proposed by an opposition faction during debates on the Ukrainian-Russian natural gas agreements.
The Ukrainian government remained under pressure after the signing of an interim agreement with Russia on the supplies of its natural gas to Ukraine at $95 per 1,000 cu m for the next six months. The agreement followed three-day cuts of Russia's gas supplies to Ukraine after talks over gas prices - which had lasted nine months - broke down amid Russian demands for a price rise from about $50 per 1,000 cu m to as much as $230.
Yekhanurov, who was only appointed to the premiership on September 22, 2005, will be acting prime minister until a new Cabinet is formed.
His predecessor, Yuliya Tymoshenko, who came into office on the back of the "orange revolution", was dismissed by President Viktor Yushchenko on September 8 after seven months in the job.
