By Xinhua
Kiev : Ukraine’s parliament Tuesday approved Yulia Tymoshenko as the prime minister of the country.
Tymoshenko was supported by 226 lawmakers in the 450-member legislature, the exact number required to be prime minister.
Tymoshenko, 47, was named prime minister by President Viktor Yushchenko Dec 6. But she failed in her bid for premiership last Tuesday as only 225 deputies backed her to the post. The president re-nominated her as prime minister Dec 12.
Tymoshenko, with her signature peasant braid and designer outfits, stood firmly at Yushchenko’s side during the 2004 protests. She became prime minister in February 2005 after Yushechenko won a re-run presidential election, but was fired by him seven months later.
The two reconciled this year during a standoff with outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, who has pursued more Moscow-friendly policies. A snap parliamentary election was held in September to resolve months of political crisis in the country.
In September’s polls, Tymoshenko’s bloc garnered 156 seats in the 450-seat chamber and formed with the pro-president Our Ukraine-Self Defence bloc a shaky coalition.