Speaking at the morning sitting of the Parliament, Mykola Tomenko, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, called on the Parliament to scrutinize the bill "On the Local Referendum" (Reg. No.7082) more thoroughly.
M. Tomenko announced that according to the amendments suggested by the Government, a local referendum might be called in Ukraine only by consent of the local authorities. However, the Deputy Chairman is convinced that a local referendum as a phenomenon and initiative belongs rather to the public than to the authorities, as the local community might be willing to influence the activity of the local authorities, prevent certain decisions or suggest new ways of local problem-solving.
M. Tomenko stressed that if the bill is adopted, Ukraine will face a situation similar to that in Kyiv, when people were trying to initiate the referendum to dismiss L. Chernovetskyi and O. Dovhyi and other members of ‘the young team.' However, the initiative groups were denied registration.
Summing up the discussion, the Deputy Chairman called for redrafting the bill, as it is the territorial community, not the local authorities that should call a local referendum.
The People's Deputies upheld the bill "On the Local Referendum" (Reg. No.7082) submitted by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine by 235 votes.