Expert explains delay with selection of new NBU head

"This is not the only such example, we already have a whole bunch of acting chiefs in place. This is such a bad fashion, you know. In my opinion, there is no single reason why this is happening. The president is on the one hand looking for a loyal candidate, and on the other hand, this must be a candidate able to pass the parliament. The search has been delayed. I hope that this issue will finally be resolved. This is important for negotiations with the IMF," Fesenko said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, NBU Governor Valeriya Gontarev, after three years in office, submitted a resignation letter to President Petro Poroshenko dated May 10, 2017, and went off on a long vacation. Starting May 11, 2017, first deputy head of the National Bank, Yakov Smolii, has been the central bank’s acting head.

According to the Constitution of Ukraine, the head of state is to submit to the Verkhovna Rada a new candidate for the post of the NBU head. However, no specific terms are specified in the legislation for the head of state to make the move.

Read alsoNew Year's wish to Ukrainian banks: get off your knees and lendLate August, presidential envoy in the Verkhovna Rada Iryna Lutsenko said that the president would introduce a new candidate until the end of September, but the candidate has not been submitted so far. Deputy head of the Bloc of Petro Poroshenko faction Oleksiy Honcharenko said that there were two candidates for the post, while a government representative in the Verkhovna Rada, Vadym Denysenko, stated that only one candidate was considered, namely the first deputy head of the NBU, Yakov Smolii.