First Azarov government

The first Azarov government ( uk, Перший уряд Миколи Азарова, Russian: Первое правительство Николая Азарова) was Ukraine's cabinet from (appointed on) March 11, 2010 till December 3, 2012 (the cabinet stays on as caretaker government)Yanukovych dismisses Azarov and Cabinet of Ministers
Kyiv Post (3 December 2012)
Ukraine government resigns, stays on in acting role
Kyiv Post (3 December 2012) till 24 December 2012 when the second Azarov government was appointed by president Viktor Yanukovych.President of Ukraine has appointed new staff of the cabinet of ministers of Ukraine
, Ukrainian Independent Information Agency (24 December 2012)

The cabinet was formed as part of the "Stability and Reform" coalition between the Party of Regions, Lytvyn Bloc and the Communist Party of Ukraine in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament. The government was led by prime minister Mykola Azarov, who succeeded the ousted second Tymoshenko government led by ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko nationwide survey showed that only 13.2 percent of respondents fully supported the Azarov Government while 45 percent stated they did not.

Its composition was reshuffled by Yanukovych early in 2012.

Creation and parliamentary issues

Termination

On December 3, 2012, the government became a caretaker government after Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich accepted the resignation of prime minister Mykola Azarov and his government following the 28 October 2012 parliamentary election. A number of government members, including Prime Minister Azarov, were elected to parliament in that election. In order to get these parliamentary mandates they were obliged to submit documents on the dismissal from their previous job to the Central Election Commission within 20 days after the election (by December 3).

On 9 December 2012, Yanukovych nominated Azarov for a new term as prime minister. This nomination was approved by parliament on 13 December 2012.Ukraine parliament approves Azarov as prime minister
Reuters (13 December 2012) On 24 December 2012, the second Azarov government was appointed by President Yanukovych.

In January 2013, President Yanukovych stated the government "has not completely fulfilled the assigned tasks on ensuring the introduction of reform and economic growth. This led to the fact that the results in 2012 were much worse than expected".

Controversy and criticism

Azarov's immediate predecessor Yulia Tymoshenko wanted not a politician for prime minister but "a professional premier, who will implement unpopular reforms".

Ukraine's state budget for 2010 was adopted by parliament after a ten-minute-long hearing of the bill which consisted of a report by the finance minister and the head of the parliament's budget committee. The Verkhovna Rada 2010 budget was not presented at a parliament meeting, but approved on May 14, 2010.

Constitutional Court ruling

According to former president Victor Yushchenko the March 9, 2010 parliamentary amendment that made it possible for individual members of a parliamentary faction to join a coalition violated the Ukrainian Constitution, former Minister of Internal Affairs Yuriy Lutsenko Viktor Yanukovych accused Lutsenko of badly handling the affairs at the Ministry of Internal Affairs before appointing Anatolii Mohyliov to Lutsenko's old position.) and Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc lawmaker Serhiy Mishchenko stated "that the Verkhovna Rada had shown to the average citizen a bad example of how to violate the country's laws and Constitution". Yushchenko did send a letter to Yanukovych with a request to veto the law on March 10. Yanukovych signed the law nevertheless.Ukraine opposition challenges Yanukovych in court
''Kyiv Post'' (March 12, 2010) 56 lawmakers filed a challenge to the law who made these amendments possible on March 11, 2010, at the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. On March 16, 2010, Minister of Justice Oleksandr Lavrynovych stated that even if the Constitutional Court rules the amendments unconstitutional the format of the Ukrainian parliamentary coalition will remain unchanged because "the Constitutional Court's ruling becomes valid on the day of its announcement, not yesterday or the day before yesterday" and the Constitutional Court's ruling will apply only to measures intended to establish a new coalition in Ukraine in the future. On March 26, 2010, President Yanukovych told a delegation from the European Parliament "If the decision of the Constitutional Court will be that the coalition was formed illegally, then I will take a decision on a snap election, I will never go down the path of breaching the constitution that is in force".Yanukovych to call vote if coalition ruled illegal
''Kyiv Post'' (March 1, 2010) The Constitutional Court reviewing the case late March 2010. On urgent matters the court rules within weeks but on matters deemed less urgent it can take months or even longer. On March 29, 2010, former premier and Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc leader Yulia Tymoshenko.

On April 8, 2010, the Constitutional Court ruled that the coalition supporting the Azarov government in parliament had been formed legally.Update: Ukraine court rules Yanukovych coalition legal
''Kyiv Post'' (April 8, 2010) The shadow government called the Constitutional Court ruling "cynical, hypocritical, and illegal".

Corruption

The Azarov government stated that it will fight corruption. However several of its members are assigned to two or more government positions, and, of course, are paid for them. That fact reflects direct disregard for the Constitution of Ukraine. Some of the members do not even qualify to the assigned positions either as in case with Valeriy Khoroshkovskiy who was elected to the Supreme Council of Justice. Some of the members of the government received their government assignments without a basic knowledge of the state language as in case with the Minister of Internal Affairs Mohyliov. The President Yanukovych gave him two months (until August 2010) to learn the language.

Opposition government formation

On March 16, eight parliamentarian parties signed an application for the establishment of an association of opposing political forces to the ruling Azarov government. Among the eight opposition parties are All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland", Rukh, European Party of Ukraine, People's Self-Defense, Reforms and Order Party, Motherland Defenders Party