Opposition leader Tymoshenko initiates impeachment of Ukrainian president

Leader of Ukraine’s Batkivshchyna Party and presidential contender Yulia Tymoshenko is initiating impeachment proceedings against current President Petro Poroshenko. “We declare that we are beginning impeachment proceedings against the president along with other factions that support us,” she said in the parliament on Tuesday. Tymoshenko cited an investigation by journalists which revealed the involvement of Poroshenko and his entourage in allegedly smuggling spare parts for the Ukrainian Army from Russia at over-inflated prices, TASS said. According to Article 111 of Ukraine’s Constitution, the president can be ousted from his post through an impeachment process in the event of committing high treason or another crime. However, a special mechanism is required, which should be enshrined in a special impeachment law that the Verkhovna Rada has been unable to pass since 1996.