Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has approved the appointment of former economy minister Yulia Svyrydenko as the country’s new prime minister, following a sweeping government shake-up orchestrated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

A total of 262 MPs voted in favor of Svyrydenko’s appointment, with 22 opposed and 26 abstaining, according to MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak.

The vote came just one day after lawmakers dismissed Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and his entire Cabinet. Zelenskyy has now nominated Shmyhal to serve as Ukraine’s new minister of defense.

Svyrydenko, a close ally of the presidential office, was personally selected by Zelenskyy to lead the new government through a critical phase in Ukraine’s war-time governance.

In her address to parliament, she pledged to focus on boosting Ukraine’s economic resilience, expanding citizen support programs, and accelerating domestic weapons production.

Svyrydenko’s rise has been steady. Beginning her public service career in 2015 as an advisor in Chernihiv, she quickly advanced through regional leadership roles before joining the Ministry of Economy.

She became minister in 2021 and is widely known for spearheading tax reforms in 2024 to raise $500 billion for the security and defense sector, including a controversial hike in the military levy to 5% and a 25% profit tax on non-bank financial firms.

She also championed the “economic reservation” policy, aimed at increasing state revenues by UAH 100 billion ($2.49 billion), and oversaw the signing of a landmark agreement with the United States on rare earth minerals.

Despite her appointment, some political analysts view the reshuffle as largely symbolic, noting that the president’s office appears to be consolidating power rather than ushering in meaningful policy change.

Svyrydenko now becomes Ukraine’s first female prime minister since Yulia Tymoshenko, inheriting a government strained by war, economic uncertainty, and high public expectations.