One candidate considered for post of NBU chief

Acting Head of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Yakiv Smolii is currently the only candidate for the post of NBU governor, Bloc of Petro Poroshenko MP Vadym Denysenko, who represents the Cabinet of Ministers in parliament, has said.

"One candidate is currently being considered. This is Acting Head Yakiv Smolii," he told reporters in parliament on Tuesday.

At the same time, Denysenko replied to the journalists' remark that Volodymyr Lavrenchuk's candidacy was mentioned earlier, that as of today, as far as he knows, only Smoliy is an applicant for the post of NBU head.

He also expressed doubt that NBU Governor Valeriya Gontareva would present a report in parliament before the appointment of the new head of the central bank.

However, he expressed hope that a respective vote for the appointment of the new NBU head would be held at a plenary meeting of the Verkhovna Rada on Thursday, December 21.

The deputy head of the Bloc of Petro Poroshenko faction, Oleksiy Honcharenko, also did not rule out that the Verkhovna Rada would consider the issue on Thursday.

"The chances that we will consider a candidate for the head of the National Bank of Ukraine on Thursday are fifty-fifty… It depends on the president whether we consider this issue or not. If there is a motion today or tomorrow, then we will consider it, if not, then not," he told reporters in parliament.