国际英语新闻:Ukrainian parliament approves new cabinet

KIEV, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Ukrainian parliament on Thursday approved a cabinet led by new Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk.

The new interim government, which has gathered well-known politicians and prominent figures of the anti-government protests, was supported by 331 lawmakers of the 411 present in the parliament.

Earlier in the day, 358 legislators supported a bill to dismiss the former government.

The parliament approved Vitaly Yarema, a lawmaker from the "Fatherland" party, as first deputy prime minister.

Meanwhile, far-right politician Alexandr Such and businessman Vladimir Groysman were appointed deputy prime ministers.

Former Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk was named deputy prime minister for European integration, while Ostap Semerak, a former adviser to Yatsenyuk, became minister of the cabinet.

Andriy Deshchytsya, a veteran diplomat, was given the foreign affairs portfolio, while Admiral Igor Tenyukh, former commander of the Naval Forces of Ukraine, became defense minister.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, who was appointed earlier this week, has kept his post.

Pavlo Sheremeta, a well-known political analyst and founder of the Kiev-Mohyla Business School, was made economy minister, while Alexandr Shlapack took the post of finance minister.

Oleg Musiy, the coordinator of the protesters' medical camp, was named health minister; actor Eugene Nischuk, a narrator who was cheering protesters from the stage during the anti-government rallies, became culture minister, while Dmytro Bulatov, an activist who was severely beaten during the protests, was appointed as youth and sports minister.

Maksym Burbak, a lawmaker from the "Fatherland" Party, was approved as infrastructure minister and his comrade Lyudmyla Denysova became social policy minister.

Lawmaker Pavlo Petrenko was appointed as justice minister and Sergiy Kvit, president of the National University of Kiev-Mohyla Academy, took the post of education and science minister.

Lawmaker from "Svoboda" party Igor Shvaika became agriculture minister, his party ally Adnriy Mokhnyk became ecology minister, while Yury Prodan, who served as energy minister in 2007-2010, was appointed as minister of fuel and energy.

Earlier in the day, Yatsenyuk said that the main task of his government is to lift Ukraine's economy, preserve the territorial integrity of the state and follow the course toward European integration.

Describing the members of the new cabinet as "political kamikaze," Yatsenyuk said that his government has to make unpopular decisions, which would displease many Ukrainians in the short term.