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Zelensky sworn in and dissolves parliament
Summary
A look back at the inauguration of Ukraine's sixth president and the snap election call that followed.
What happened in Kyiv on 20 May 2019, when Ukraine's new president took office? Volodymyr Zelensky, a former comedian and reality television actor, was sworn in by the Verkhovna Rada as the 6th President of Ukraine.
In the same ceremony he announced the dissolution of parliament and called a snap parliamentary election.
The reaction from the government came the same day. Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman announced that he would resign on the Wednesday, in response to the new president's disbanding of parliament.
What came next
The background to these events shows how the decision played out. The parliamentary election had originally been scheduled for the end of October. It was later brought forward and held on 21 July 2019. Zelensky's Servant of the People party won an outright majority, taking 254 seats.
On 19 May 2019, the day before the inauguration, Shakhtar Donetsk had clinched the 2018–19 Ukrainian football championship early, winning the title for the 12th time.
