Who took the reins in Kyiv after 29 August 2019?
A look back at the appointments made at the first sitting of Ukraine's ninth-convocation parliament, and what they meant for the executive.
What did Ukraine's new political line-up look like on 31 August 2019? Two days earlier, on 29 August, the Verkhovna Rada of the ninth convocation held its first sitting, and the leadership of both parliament and government was settled in a single day.
Dmytro Razumkov was elected Speaker of the Rada. Oleksiy Honcharuk was named Prime Minister of Ukraine. Ivan Bakanov was appointed head of the Security Service of Ukraine, the SBU.
What the appointments covered
The three decisions spanned the legislature, the cabinet and the security service. Placing them in one sitting meant that the new parliament had filled the posts of Speaker, Prime Minister and SBU chief at the very start of its work.
As of 31 August 2019, the new Prime Minister had held office for only two days. The tasks facing the cabinet were still ahead, and the day's significance lay in the fact that the posts had been filled and the new team could begin.
