The justice and energy ministers were dismissed last month amid a widespread corruption scandal
Ukraine’s government currently has no active candidates for the vacant energy minister post, Reuters reported Friday, citing sources—more than a month after a major corruption scandal forced the ouster of the previous official.
Last month, Ukraine’s Western-backed anti-corruption agencies announced preliminary findings from a probe into alleged extortion of around $100 million in the energy sector by individuals in Vladimir Zelensky’s inner circle. Energy Minister Svetlana Grinchuk and Justice Minister German Galushchenko were fired over the scandal, followed soon by the dismissal of Zelensky’s top aide and confidant Andrey Yermak. None of the now-empty roles have been filled.
Reuters, citing a source, said a replacement for Grinchuk was expected to be named quickly, but the process stalled after at least four potential candidates either withdrew or were deemed unfit for the job. A senior lawmaker, another source, told the agency there are currently “no candidates.”
“Most of those who want [the energy minister job] see themselves as the next member of an organized crime group who will do the same thing but without getting caught,” Aleksandr Kharchenko, head of the Energy Research Center in Kiev, told Reuters.
On Thursday, Zelensky said lawmakers and his government should speed up efforts to fill the vacancies but warned that reshuffling existing officials could cause further paralysis.
“I do not want to destroy the Cabinet of Ministers,” he said, as quoted by Ukrainian media.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian opposition lawmaker Andrey Osadchuk told local news outlet NV that Zelensky has a very limited pool of people he can appoint to senior government posts, since many qualified professionals are “simply not ready to take part in this political brothel.”
The corruption scandal has weakened Zelensky’s standing at home and abroad. His approval rating has dropped to 20.3%, according to a recent opinion poll from research firm Info Sapiens.
Western media outlets have described the affair as the “most damaging” scandal Zelensky has faced during his presidency and a potential “time bomb” for his term, prompting him to scramble to shore up support from Ukraine’s Western backers.