Protesters in Ukraine have taken control of government buildings in central Kiev, as they continue to call for President Viktor Yanukovych to quit. This comes following reports that the President had left the capital.
The opposition is now seeking parliamentary support for a resolution calling on Yanukovych to resign and to set early elections for no later than May 25th.
Despite a compromise deal announced on Friday, protests continued at Independence Square, with protesters calling for Yanukovych to quit as president. Media outlets report the Ukrainian President left Kiev for his native eastern Ukraine after surrendering much of his powers and agreeing to early elections this fall.
Shortly after, parliament speaker Volodymyr Rybak submitted his resignation, citing ill health. He was quickly replaced by Oleksander Tukchynov, close ally of jailed opposition leader Tymoshenko.
Opposition leader Vitaly Klitschko has now called for an end to bloodshed, and expressed his optimism regarding the country’s future.
"First of all we have to stop blood. Secondly it’s very important we don’t split the country. Third point, we threw our country from presidential republic to parliament republic. It’s very important what we did today. It’s successful work because we have majority in the parliament. Today was a very important day for the opposition, because it was a successful day. We have a good result," he said.
