Svyrydenko’s “renewed” government relies on the support of ex-OPZZH and business groups: Tomenko reveals details of the coalition

According to the expert, the current government coalition, whose activities are associated with the National Serious Party “Servant of the People”, is called “non-public”, since it also consists of deputies from the banned pro-Russian OPZh and representatives of powerful business groups. Mykola Tomenko expresses concern about the recent vote for the prime minister, describing it as evidence of the real state of affairs in parliament, and calls for legalizing this new coalition to avoid possible secret deals.

Real support for the Svyrydenko government

The vote for the appointment of the prime minister in Ukraine is always a critical moment, signaling the distribution of forces in the Verkhovna Rada. According to Mykola Tomenko, the election of the “renewed” government of Yulia Svyrydenko on July 15-16, 2025, was a vivid example of this phenomenon.

Tomenko emphasizes that “the vote for the prime minister is an important indicator of the real composition of the parliamentary majority in Ukraine.” The results of this vote open the possibility for unconventional conclusions:

“Servant of the People” has lost its monolithic character: Although Svyridenko’s candidacy was proposed by the President, only 201 out of 231 deputies from this party supported her. The rest abstained or did not vote, and 20 deputies did not show up for the vote. This indicates the collapse of the former monomajority.

Unexpected allies: Ex-OPZZH. Tomenko notes that the main allies of the new government are deputies from the banned pro-Russian party, in particular 25 deputies who supported Svyridenko: 15 from the “Platform for Life and Peace” and 10 from “Restoration of Ukraine”. This raises serious questions about the foundations of the new coalition.

Traditional support: Business groups. As Tomenko points out, groups formed by business representatives remain constant participants in parliamentary coalitions. This time, 15 deputies from “Trust” and 12 from “For the Future” supported the prime minister.

The opposition remains: Deputies from “ES”, “Batkivshchyna”, and “Holos” did not cast their votes in support of the new prime minister, except Deputy Tasheva from “Holos”.

The end of the monomajority and constitutional issues

Based on the data presented, Tomenko makes an unambiguous conclusion: “the parliamentary majority, formed only from the ‘Servant of the People’ faction, has effectively ended its existence”.

He emphasizes that today’s coalition consists of deputies from “Servant of the People” and representatives of deputy groups created based on the OPZH, as well as majoritarians from various business groups.

This topic, according to Tomenko, calls into question the legitimacy of the government’s further work without an officially formed coalition. He notes that “taking into account the requirements of the Constitution, it is necessary to legalize the new coalition, hold a constituent assembly, and publish the list and program of its work.”

Lessons from the past: the danger of secret deals

Tomenko draws analogies with the recent past, noting that “a similar situation with a ‘secret coalition’ took place during the election of Volodymyr Groysman as Prime Minister in April 2016.” At that time, the size of the government coalition formed by the factions of the BPP and the “People’s Front” was only 223 deputies, which is less than the constitutionally established minimum. And the then Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada did not publish the list of the real coalition.

This phenomenon of “secret coalitions” not only violates constitutional norms but also undermines the people’s trust in the government. If society does not know who forms the majority and is responsible for decisions, this creates opportunities for backroom deals and shadow influence.

Tomenko calls for the implementation of the provisions of Article 83 of the Constitution of Ukraine, repeating that “it is necessary to clearly define the principles of formation, organization of activities, and termination of coalitions of deputy factions.” This will avoid past mistakes and make the process of forming government more transparent and more responsible to society. In the context of war, when the country needs maximum unity and openness, “secret coalitions” become impractical.