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.
After being dismissed, the old government can work for no more than 60 days before the formation of a new Cabinet.
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.
Yushchenko, who is currently on his way to Astana for Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev's inauguration, had earlier said he was satisfied with the gas agreement with Russia. "The agreement with Russia on gas supplies to Ukraine is absolutely acceptable, and the incident is over," he said.
