Government backs Klitschko's dismissal as head of Kyiv city administration

"The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has just decided to approve Vitali Klitschko's dismissal as head of Kyiv City State Administration. In my opinion, this is an attack on local government and a very wrong decision," he wrote on his Facebook page on Wednesday.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk confirmed the report at a briefing following a government meeting, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"We applied to the Office of the President for Mr. Klitschko's dismissal from the post he is currently holding," he said.

On July 24, the Cabinet of Ministers received a letter from the Office of the President requesting a motion to dismiss Klitschko as head of Kyiv City State Administration. However, the government led by Volodymyr Groysman refused to consider Klitschko's dismissal as chairman of Kyiv City State Administration.

Ukraine's Constitutional Court ruled in 2003 that the president is obliged to appoint the Kyiv mayor-elect as head of Kyiv City State Administration.

"Kyiv City State Administration should be headed only by a person elected as Kyiv city mayor, who is appointed by the president of Ukraine as head of Kyiv City State Administration," the court ruling said.

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