Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said the Cabinet of Ministers on April 10 will consider the president's appeal to dismiss Maksym Stepanov as Head of Odesa Regional State Administration.
"The official appeal from the president was submitted to the government today. And the government will consider it tomorrow," he said at a briefing during his visit to Dnipropetrovsk region, answering a question whether there is a president's motion for the dismissal of Odesa governor, according to an UNIAN correspondent.
Read alsoOdesa governor says his dismissal connected with “ensuring fair elections”
As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko dismissed Maksym Stepanov as Head of Odesa Regional State Administration and appointed First Deputy Head Serhiy Parashchenko as acting governor.
The relevant decrees were published on the president's website.
However, in an unexpected move, Stepanov refused to step down.
"A decree on my dismissal was published on the president's website a few hours ago. A very strange document, which, in my opinion, according to all lawyers, has nothing to do with the legislation of Ukraine," he told a briefing on Monday, according to an UNIAN correspondent.
Stepanov said the document "went beyond the powers of the president" enshrined in the Constitution.
He added the president has the right to appoint and dismiss the heads of the regional state administrations on the proposal of the Cabinet of Ministers. At the same time, Stepanov said he was offered to write a letter of resignation. "I refused because I have no desire to do this. I continue to perform my duties," he said.
UNIAN memo. Maksym Stepanov was appointed Odesa governor in January 2017. He replaced Mikheil Saakashvili.
Before his appointment, he led a state-run Ukraina Printing Plant.
