Eccentric Kiev Mayor Dismissed

Kiev's eccentric millionaire mayor, 58-year-old Leonid Chernovetsky, was removed from power by Ukraine's president Viktor F. Yanukovich in November. The recently elected president may have been frustrated by the former mayor's impulsive and eccentric behaviour, and it certainly doesn't help that Chernovetsky has been accused of corruption (though he has denied all accusations).

However, due to a quirk in the constitution, the president cannot sack the mayor, though he can dismiss the city's administrator. While the former mayor insists that he has simply lost power as the city administrator, the president has gone ahead and appointed a new mayor - former utilities minister Olexandr Popov.