DHAKA: The Ukrainian parliament is to vote Tuesday on a no-confidence motion on the government as thousands of protesters outside the building demanded the cabinet’s ouster.

The vote was initiated by the opposition in the wake of mass protests against a decision by the government and president Viktor Yanukovych not to sign a treaty with the EU.

Yanukovych’s governing Party of Regions, which commands a 254-seat majority in the 444-seat parliament, or Verkhovna Rada, has said it won`t back the motion.

Meanwhile, protesters continued to block access to key ministry buildings in the centre of Kiev, reports The Voice of Russia.

On Monday thousands of Ukrainian protesters besieged government buildings in Kiev and called for the ouster of the prime minister and his Cabinet, as anger at the president’s decision to ditch a deal for closer ties with the European Union gripped other parts of the country and threatened his rule.

Ukraine faced a wave of protests after president Viktor Yanukovych unexpectedly refused to sign a association agreement with the EU earlier this month, opting instead for an alliance with Russia.

A spate of rallies by pro-EU protesters took place across the Eastern European nation over the past week, including in Kiev, where up to 100,000 rallied last Sunday.

BDST: 1750 HRS, DEC 03, 2013