Ukraine PM Yatsenyuk Resigns After Ruling Coalition Collapses

Arseniy Yatsenyuk has resigned as Ukraine's Prime Minister after the governing coalition collapsed on Thursday.

"I am announcing my resignation in connection with the collapse of the coalition," said Yatsenyuk, after apparently being frozen out of a plot to hold early elections in the autumn.

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko had earlier praised the country's lawmakers, saying the move to collapse the government reflected the will of the Ukrainian public.

"All opinion polls, as well as direct communication with the people, shows that the public wants a full rebooting of the authorities," Poroshenko said in a statement.

Ukraine's parliament, elected in 2012, contains many members sympathetic to the ousted former president Viktor Yanukovych.

The coalition collapsed following weeks of closed-door political negotiations, as Udar and Svoboda parties withdrew their support.

Following Yatsenyuk's resignation statement, Ukraine's parliament registered a bill scheduling early parliamentary elections to be held on September 28.