Rada reached deadlock: there are not enough votes, deputies are dissatisfied and complain about OP - The Kyiv Independent
Ukraine’s parliament is on the verge of a crisis because MPs are demotivated and resentful of the Presidential Office. They do not want to attend meetings and vote for important laws.
This was reported by The Kyiv Independent, according to Censor.NET.
According to the newspaper, MPs are dissatisfied with restrictions on travelling abroad, poor communication or pressure from other government agencies, and the concentration of power in the Presidential Office.
The publication reminds that the Verkhovna Rada currently has a record low number of MPs - 401, while the law requires 450. Immediately after the 2019 elections, there were 424 of them (some mandates remained vacant due to the inability to hold elections in the occupied Crimea and Donbas). Since then, 11 pro-Russian political parties have been banned, and 4 MPs have been deprived of their seats. MPs have also resigned, left the parliament due to criminal cases, been appointed to government positions, and died.
Parliament has even blocked the possibility of MPs resigning, except for health reasons.
"The Servant of the People party has a formal majority of 235 votes. Only 226 are needed to pass most laws. However, despite the inability to resign, the "servants" can simply not go to work and not vote. For example, only 154 members of the faction were registered at the parliamentary session on 28 March.
MPs are outraged by restrictions on travelling abroad
There is no single reason for the loss of spirit in the parliament. But MPs are outraged by the restrictions on travelling abroad. They complain that they are being denied even official trips.
"Voice" MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak said he was banned from visiting Brussels after he did not support a bill that was supported by the Presidential Office. He considers this decision to be an attempt by the Presidential Office to exert unlawful influence on his legislative activities.
"When MPs feel that their ability to get to work depends on their vote, 'they become hostages'. This contributes to demoralisation and absenteeism: "It's better not to show up than to vote negatively and be punished," Zhelezniak told the Kyiv Independent.
MPs feel powerless due to growing influence of the OP
Zhelezniak's opinion was supported by several MPs from the Servant of the People and opposition parties. "Many of them (did this - Ed.) on condition of anonymity for fear of revenge, saying that they feel increasingly powerless in the face of the influential Presidential Office," the newspaper writes.
The representative of the Presidential Office, Iryna Pobedonotseva, said that the accusations of the OP of interfering with MPs' foreign trips "do not correspond to reality". She noted that the parliamentary leadership is responsible for approving trips.
"The position of the President's Office is very clear: during a full-scale war, all representatives of all branches of government, including the legislative, executive and judicial branches, as well as absolutely all officials in the public administration, must work 100%," she said.
MPs are upset that voters consider them "bastards"
"The Servant of the People" Mykyta Poturaiev, the head of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, believes that the main reason for the non-participation of some of his colleagues is the negative public opinion about parliament.
"I understand that in every country people do not like parliaments," Poturaiev said. But after voting for historically important laws for national security, defence and European integration, "you don't feel support from the media, you don't feel support from the population," he said.
"How should they feel when they read about themselves, that they are all bastards, corrupt bastards?" - Poturaev added.
According to a KIIS poll, only 15% of Ukrainians trust the parliament. This is the lowest figure among all state authorities. Last year, the level of trust was 35%.
MPs have to live under new rules
The Kyiv Independent writes that after the 2019 elections, the very understanding of what it means to be a parliamentarian has changed.
Since then, parliamentary immunity has been abolished, and the requirements for financial monitoring and reporting of MPs and their family members have been tightened.
In addition, journalists, whose presence had previously "kept MPs on their toes" and encouraged them to attend meetings and work, were no longer allowed to attend parliamentary sessions.
What to do with the parliament?
"To win enough votes, Zelenskyy's party faces a choice: to strengthen inter-party cooperation or to resolve dissatisfaction within its majority," the article says.
Over the past few months, representatives of the OP and government officials have been meeting with MPs to improve relations. But there has been no result yet. Sources said that MPs left the meetings feeling that they were still not being heard.
