The faction of the opposition Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc walked out of the parliamentary session hall this afternoon in protest against consideration of a bill on local elections without its proposals being taking into account.

The Ukrainian Parliament today postponed consideration of a bill on national referendums until its next session this autumn. A total of 368 MPs voted in favor of this decision at this morning's plenary sitting. Parliament decided that the bill would be considered during the first plenary week of its next session in September.

Parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn today summed up the work of the sixth session of the Ukrainian Parliament prior to closing it on the evening of July 10. He said that during the session, which opened on February 2, the Parliament formed a new ruling, the Stability and Reforms coalition, consisting of the Party of Regions faction, Communist Party, Lytvyn Bloc and independent MPs after the election of Viktor Yanukovych as president.

The law on local elections (No 6601) adopted in its final reading today schedules local elections in Ukraine for October 31 2010, except for elections of the mayor of Kyiv and head of the city council as well as the head of Ternopil city council. A total of 259 out of 285 MPs registered in Parliament voted in favor of the law.

The Ukrainian Parliament today dismissed Emergency Minister Nestor Shufrych at this morning’s plenary sitting. A total of 256 MPs voted in favor.

Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Serhiy Tyhypko answered questions posed by MPs at the latest government hour session held at this morning's plenary sitting of the Ukrainian Parliament. He initially answered questions submitted in writing in advance by MPs from the opposition Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and Our Ukraine People's Self-Defence Bloc factions. Afterwards, opposition MPs as well as those from the ruling coalition had the opportunity to ask questions verbally.

The Ukrainian Parliament has passed a bill in its second and final readings amending the law (No 6659) on the National Bank of Ukraine, extending the tenure of NBU governor by two years and, in so doing, up to seven years in total. It was supported by 256 out of 430 MPs registered in the session.