Ukraine parliament fires speaker amid ruling party squabbles

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian lawmakers have voted to dismiss a speaker, a move that comes as part of infighting in the ruling party. Dmytro Razumkov was stripped of his duties Thursday by the Verkhovna Rada after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Servant of the People party initiated his dismissal. Relations between Zelenskyy and Razumkov have grown more strained recently, in particular over a bill aimed to restrict the power of big tycoons that the president pushed and the speaker opposed. Earlier this month, Zelenskyy accused Razumkov of pursuing a political agenda of his own. Razumkov suggested after his dismissal that he could run for president in the next election. Zelenskyy hasn’t yet said whether he would seek a second term in 2024.