Pro-European Union activists gather during a rally in Independence Square in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013. About 200,000 anti-government demonstrators converged on the central square of Ukraine’s capital Sunday, a dramatic demonstration that the opposition’s morale remains strong after nearly four weeks of daily protests. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
December 16, 2013 - 4:44 AM
KIEV, Ukraine - A member of Ukraine's ruling party says they want a government reshuffle, as thousands of anti-government protesters occupying a central Kyiv square for weeks have demand its resignation and closer EU ties.
Lawmaker Hanna Herman told an internet TV channel Monday the Party of Regions has met with Prime Minister Mykola Azarov to ask for a "90 per cent" reshuffle of his government. Herman described the mood in the party as "very radical, very constructive."
Thousands of Ukrainians have occupied the square since Dec. 1, after President Viktor Yanukovych's decision to shun closer ties with the EU and move instead toward Moscow.
Yanukovych has been attempting to appease protesters in recent days, and has suspended two officials over their alleged role in violent dispersal of protests on Nov. 30.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013