Ukraine’s newly appointed president moves to dissolve parliament

Ukraine’s newly appointed president immediately moved to dissolve parliament and call a snap election as he seeks to consolidate power following his rapid rise from TV comedian to the country’s top politician.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was sworn in Monday, won a resounding electoral victory last month on pledges to end decades of corruption and resolve the deadly conflict fomented by Russia after it annexed Crimea in 2014.

He said his first task was to achieve a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, where a five-year-old conflict with Russian-backed separatists have killed 13,000 people. He added that dialogue with Russia could only happen after the return of Ukrainian territory and prisoners of war.

Working with parliament will be crucial to his ability to meet the expectations of his voters and also pass reforms needed to keep foreign aid flowing.

The newcomer’s party, named Servant of the People after his popular television show has no representation in the legislature but leads polls before a scheduled vote in October. Calling an early ballot -- as early as summer -- will be tricky, however, as the current ruling parties staged a tactical move last week to cling to power.

With graft a hot-button issue for voters and Ukraine’s Western donors, Zelenskiy, 41, urged lawmakers to pass bills clamping down on illicit wealth and ending officials’ immunity. He also asked them to dismiss the unpopular prosecutor-general, the head of the security service and the defense minister.

“It’s not everything you can do but it’s fine for a start,” he said in Kiev. “You’ll have two months for that.”

“You will have two months for this. Do it and you will deserve medals,” Zelenskiy said after being sworn in. “I dissolve the Rada (parliament) of the eighth convocation.”