Novynsky elected head of Opposition Bloc faction in parliament

MP Vadym Novynsky has been elected head of the Opposition Bloc faction in the Verkhovna Rada. 

Parliament Speaker Andriy Parubiy said this while opening a morning session of parliament on Thursday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"I am announcing the election of Ukrainian MP Vadym Vladyslavovych Novynsky as head of the deputy faction of the Opposition Bloc political party and MPs Oleksandr Yuriyovych Vilkul and Yuriy Mykolayovych Voropayev as deputy heads of the parliamentary faction," he said.

At the same time, Parubiy announced the withdrawal of MPs Yevhen Bakulin, Serhiy Dunayev and Yuliy Ioffe from the Opposition Bloc faction.

Opposition Bloc faction co-chairman Oleksandr Vilkul said at a plenary meeting on Tuesday, November 20, that Yuriy Boiko and deputy head of the faction Serhiy Liovochkin had been expelled from the faction.

According to the parliament's rules of procedure, a deputy is considered to be officially expelled from a faction or deputy group after a respective announcement is made by the person presiding at a parliament meeting.

On November 9, Opposition Bloc co-chairman Yuriy Boiko and leader of the For Life! Party Vadym Rabinovych signed an agreement on the creation by part of the Opposition Bloc party and the For Life! Party of the Opposition Platform - For Life union and agreed to nominate single candidates at all national elections in 2019.

Later, Novynsky said that the Opposition Bloc party had not authorized Boiko to sign documents on the creation of the Opposition Platform - For Life.

It was reported on November 17 that Boiko had become the single presidential candidate from the Opposition Platform - For Life. 

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