The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine was unable to appoint Denys Shmyhal as the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy. Only 210 Members of Parliament voted for the decision at the meeting on January 13, while a minimum of 226 votes is required to approve the candidacy.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Voting Details and Consequences
After the unsuccessful vote, the parliament could not proceed to consider the appointment of Mykhailo Fedorov as Minister of Defense, as proposed by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk. The proposal was supported by 206 deputies out of the required 226. After this, Stefanchuk announced a break, and the session was later closed. Deputies reported that the session for that day was concluded.
“The decision on the appointment at the meeting on January 13 was supported by 210 Members of Parliament against the minimum necessary 226.”
Previous Personnel Changes in Government
Earlier that same day, the Verkhovna Rada supported the resignation of Denys Shmyhal from the position of Minister of Defense. This decision was voted for by 265 deputies. President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Denys Shmyhal on January 3 and proposed that he transition from the position of Minister of Defense to the role of First Deputy Prime Minister and head of the Ministry of Energy.
It is worth noting that the Verkhovna Rada approved Shmyhal as Minister of Defense on July 17, 2025, following his dismissal from the position of Prime Minister, which he held for over five years. On January 2, President Zelensky also proposed to the First Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, to become the Minister of Defense.