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Zelensky's inauguration day and the dissolved parliament
Summary
A look back at the swearing-in of Ukraine's sixth president and his immediate move against the Verkhovna Rada.
What did Ukraine's new president do with his first hours in office? On 20 May 2019, Volodymyr Zelensky, a former comedian and reality television actor, was sworn in by the Verkhovna Rada as the 6th President of Ukraine. He used the occasion to announce the dissolution of parliament and to call a snap parliamentary election.
A prime minister responds
The reaction from the government came the same day. Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman announced that he would resign on Wednesday, in response to the new president's decision to disband parliament.
What followed
The background to the decision became clearer later. The parliamentary election had originally been scheduled for the end of October, and the dissolution brought it forward. It was later held on 21 July 2019, and Zelensky's Servant of the People party won an outright majority, with 254 seats. None of that was known on 20 May, when the immediate facts were the oath, the dissolution announcement and the prime minister's declared resignation.
A weekend of other news
On the previous day, 19 May 2019, Donetsk's Shakhtar secured the 2018–2019 Ukrainian football championship ahead of schedule, winning the title for the 12th time.
