PLENARY MEETING OF THE FOURTH SESSION OF THE VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE OF THE SEVENTH CONVOCATION WAS HELD ON FEBRUARY 6, 2014
At the beginning of the morning session, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Volodymyr Rybak reminded that yesterday they discussed the draft resolution on the plan calendar with consideration of the proposal of the Committee on Rules of Parliamentary Procedure, Ethics and Support to Work of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. He reminded also that the decision was not taken. However, according to him, “the Parliament should also adopt the Plan calendar of its own work during the fourth session and approve the agenda of the fourth session.”
The people’s deputies approved the plan calendar of the fourth session by 235 votes. Representatives of opposition factions did not participate in voting.
The Chairman said that it is necessary to discuss and take the decision on the draft resolution on the agenda of the fourth session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the seventh convocation. He informed that the agenda includes all of the issues that were registered as of February 6 this year. Volodymyr Rybak put to vote the draft resolution with appendices 1 and 2 and sections 1 and 2.
The Verkhovna Rada approved the agenda of the fourth session by 237 votes.
Volodymyr Rybak said that “lots of people today wait for the Verkhovna Rada to consider the issue of constitutional reform.” He informed that as of today, there is no such a law in the Parliament. “There is no registered law on the constitutional reform. However, people are waiting and we have no right to cheat them,” he stressed and suggested establish the Special Temporary Commission of the Verkhovna Rada on preparation and adjustment of the bill on amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine (re returning to the parliamentary-presidential form of government).
The Chairman informed also that the talks that were held in the office of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada for several days had no effect. “Today, the Communist Party, opposition factions and the Party of Regions have different suggestions regarding amendments to the Constitution. That is why we should establish the temporary commission consisting of representatives of all political forces represented in the Parliament and involve both experts and representatives of the President of Ukraine, since he will have to sign the law. This bill should be elaborated and considered in the session hall in short terms, and we should take the decision on it. There is no other way today,” he noted, and granted the floor to the representatives of faction leaders.
Representative of the Party of Regions faction, Valerii Pysarenko, said that the respective draft resolution (on establishment the Special Temporary Commission) was elaborated during the Conciliatory Council, involving all faction leaders and the respective experts.
“What will this commission allow us to do? It will allow us not to make the 2004 mistakes, when amendments to the Constitution were made with violation of the procedure,” he said.
The people’s deputy said also that the constitutional procedure stipulates elaboration of the text of the Constitution and its submission to the Constitutional Court for conclusion. Then, adoption of the respective draft resolution in the session hall by 226 votes in the first reading and during the next plenary meeting – its adoption by 300 votes and its signing by the President of Ukraine.
Leader of the All-Ukrainian union Svoboda Oleh Tiahnybok explained why
the opposition did not register any bill on the constitutional reform. “There
are no guarantees that the majority will vote for this or that bill. And since
our Rules of Procedure did not stipulate the possibility of putting to vote one
and the same issue for several times during one session, there is no sense in
bringing in any issue into the session hall and then receive negative voting.
If there is negative voting, then we can return to this issue only in
September,” he noted.
O.Tiahnybok said that to release stress in the Ukrainian society and to liquidate social and political crisis, which is severe in Ukraine, it is urgent to conduct a constitutional reform; to invite the Prosecutor General to the Verkhovna Rada for him to report about the investigation of criminal cases and to inform about whether they have been opened with regard to killing peaceful demonstrators, kidnapping people in Ukraine, torturing peaceful demonstrators, looting, burning cars and destroying property of Ukrainian citizens, as well as to adopt amendments and supplements to the Law “On decriminalization.”
The CPU faction representative Adam Martyniuk claimed that the necessity of serious amendments to the Constitution has escalated in the society. He stressed “if amendments are made in a constitutional way, such special commission is necessary to agree on all nuances,” and informed that the CPU faction upholds this proposal.
The “UDAR” faction representative Iryna Herashchenko stated that “there are already 50 such commissions and their effectiveness factor equals zero. None of them has done any good. Thus, we are strongly against this scenario written not in the Verkhovna Rada but on Bankova st. to outtalk this process.”
“We demand the Parliament to finally become a subject of making decisions,” she stressed and informed that the faction suggests adopt the law on a total amnesty of political prisoners without any conditions, and to review and correct the Constitutional Court decision of 2010.
The “Batkivshchyna” faction leader Arsenii Yatseniuk informed that several thousands people are now moving towards the Verkhovna Rada with a demand to the majority to adopt a new Ukrainian Constitution. He also informed that the opposition prepared a draft new Constitution which, according to him, “complies with requirements of the Ukrainian people and with the Venice Commission criteria.”
“According to our version of the Constitution, the President of Ukraine forfeits dictatorial and imperial powers, the Parliament of Ukraine appoints the Government, the Prosecutor General, the Security Service Chair, all Cabinet of Ministers members and becomes a single legislation body on behalf of the people of Ukraine. Any attempts to delay this process by establishing different commissions and working groups will only lead to escalation of the conflict,” claimed A.Yatseniuk.
Volodymyr Rybak again reminded that there are no bills and there have not been registered any bills on amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine regarding return to parliamentary-presidential form of government. “And when some suggest put to vote, there is nothing to put to vote,” he claimed and announced a break inviting leaders of all deputies’ factions to his office.
After the break, Volodymyr Rybak informed that all factions’ leaders agreed not to vote and not to establish a Temporary Special Commission of the Verkhovna Rada on issue of returning to the parliamentary-presidential form of government. According to him, the reason for this is that three opposition factions do not want to include their representatives into this Temporary Commission, and factions’ leaders insist that they, together with deputies and experts, can elaborate a coordinated variant of amendments to the Constitution. It requires several days.
The Chairman reminded that people’s deputies will be working in factions and committees next week according to the Calendar plan. “There are a lot of issues and the law, that will be elaborated in the nearest future – tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, on Saturday and on Sunday, that need to be scrutinized in committees. Thus, it is possible that we would adopt the decision on readiness of this coordinated bill at an extraordinary plenary meeting of the Verkhovna Rada next week,” he claimed and informed that there will be no evening plenary meeting today and no plenary meeting on Friday.
Volodymyr Rybak invited factions’ leaders to his office, addressed the people’s deputies with a request to work today and tomorrow in committees, and adjourned the morning meeting.