A PLENARY MEETING OF THE FIRST SESSION OF THE VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE OF THE SEVENTH CONVOCATION WAS HELD ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13.
Oleksandr Yefremov, a member of the Interim Presidium chaired the beginning of the morning meeting. He congratulated people’s deputies on the Day of St. Andrew the Apostle.
The Chairman gave the floor to people’s deputy Volodymyr Oliynyk who informed about the meeting of the Counting Board.
V. Oliynyk informed that he was elected the head of the Counting Board; deputy head was people’s deputy Oleh Kanivets, and the secretary – people’s deputy Serhiy Hordiyenko.
O. Kanivets informed that yesterday, at the meeting of the Counting Board, three oppositional factions proposed the Party of Regions and representatives of the Communist Party to elect the head of the Counting Board from among the representatives of opposition. “It would mean that we have a compromise and understanding that the head of the Counting Board should be in the hands of the opposition. Unfortunately, our proposal was rejected,” noted the people’s deputy.
O. Kanivets addressed people’s deputies with a request to not approve the protocol of the meeting of the Counting Board, as it lacks 9 signatures of Board members. He believes that the Counting Board should gather again and reelect the heads of the Board.
The Chairman suggested continuing the plenary meeting until the question on the list and quantitative composition of the Verkhovna Rada is settled.
People’s deputies supported the proposal by 240 votes.
Members of the Parliament considered the election of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
The Chair addressed the faction with a request to nominate the candidates.
O. Yefremov informed that the Party of Regions faction had registered the draft resolution on election of people’s deputy Volodymyr Rybak as the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
The Chair gave the floor to people’s deputy Volodymyr Rybak.
Due to noise in the session hall made by the representatives of the opposition who demanded from people’s deputy O. Tabalov (who was called a traitor) to leave the session hall, V. Rybak could not deliver his speech.
O. Yefremov announced a break in the meeting.
After the break, people’s deputy V. Rybak delivered his speech to the members of the parliament. He said: “my political creed - and I think the majority of people’s deputies would share it – claims that we need political stability and social and economic development. This stand is supported by our people and our electorate. I see the main task of the newly elected parliament in consolidation of efforts aimed at joint performance of program aims and tasks undertaken by us.”.
According to V. Rybak, “The Verkhovna Rada has all possibilities to find effective forms through legislative activity to get involved into solving the existing problems in social and economic development of the country and do everything possible for the country to move forward.”
“I will always be ready to support those people’s deputies who protect the rights of the voters, who can defend their opinion and find compromises with others. We need to solve the key problems of the society in this room,” he stressed.
V. Rybak ensured people’s deputies that he would be doing his best “to ensure the spirit of healthy political competition and contention for the laws adopted in this hall to serve the Ukrainian people.”
V. Rybak answered the questions from people’s deputies.
Members of the Parliament discussed the candidate.
Representatives of “Batkivshchyna”, “UDAR” and “Svoboda” factions informed that the factions would not nominate their candidates to the post of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada. They also pointed out the violation of the Rules of Procedure during the voting. They stressed that the violation of the Rules of Procedure is the responsibility of the majority, namely – the Party of Regions faction.
Representatives of the factions noted also that it was necessary to bring back the respect to the Ukrainian Parliament. According to them, “an independent parliament should be chaired by an independent speaker, and the nominated candidate is a “hand-fed speaker.” They were against the appointment of a “controlled speaker.”
The candidacy of V. Rybak was supported by the representatives of the Party of Regions and the CPU.
The Chair put to voting the election of people’s deputy Volodymyr Rybak to the post of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukrainea.
By results of voting, it was supported by 250 votes.
V. Rybak was elected the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
V. Rybak thanked people’s deputies for their trust and ensured that that he would be doing his best to organize the work of the Verkhovna Rada well.
V. Rybak stressed: “Ukrainians expect from us not confrontation by effective work.”
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine proposed to include into the agenda that issue on granting the consent of the Verkhovna Rada if Ukraine for appointment of the Prime Minister of Ukraine by the President of Ukraine and consider it after election of the First Deputy Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
The Chairman addressed the factions with a request to nominate their candidates to the office of the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
The head of the CPU faction P. Symonenko informed that the faction had registered a draft resolution on election of people’s deputy Ihor Kalyetnik to the post of the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
Members of the Parliament nominated also people’s deputies Serhiy Sas, Serhiy Mishchenko and Valentyn Nalyvaychenko.
People’s deputies S. Sas and S. Mishchenko withdrew.
People’s deputies I. Kalyetnik and V. Nalyvaychenko addressed the Members of the Parliament. They informed about their vision of the operation of the Verkhovna Rada of the Seventh convocation and stressed the priority tasks.
By results of voting, people’s deputy Ihor Kalyetnik was elected as the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine by 242 votes.
The next issue considered by the people’s deputies was election of the Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
The head of the “Batkivshchyna” faction A, Yatseniuk informed that three factions – “Batkivshchyna”, “UDAR” and “Svoboda” – were nominated an agreed candidate – people’s deputy Ruslan Koshulynskyi.
People’s deputy O. Liashko nominated people’s deputy A. Labunska.
Without discussion of the candidates, by results of voting, people’s deputy Ruslan Koshulynskyi was elected the Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (305 positive votes).
Volodymyr Lytvyn reported on the work of the Preparatory Deputy Group on organization of work and holding plenary meetings of the first session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the seventh convocation.
The Verkhovna Rada took into consideration the report of the Preparatory Deputy Group.
V. Rybak informed that the President of Ukraine made a motion to receive the consent of the Verkhovna Rada to appoint Mykola Azarov to the position of the Prime Minister of Ukraine.
The candidate addressed the Verkhovna Rada. In his speech, M. Azarow stressed the measures the future government would be taking in crisis conditions, as well as the fact that “the new Government would have to solve burning problems of development relying mainly on its own forces and potential.”
At the end of his address M. Azarov said he was convinced that Ukraine would have a good future. “Every political force should do something to attain that and act in the way as to unite the Ukrainian nation around the large-scale tasks of national development,” he stressed.
M. Azarov answered the questions of people’s deputies.
The candidacy of M. Azarov was discussed in the session hall.
Representatives of oppositional factions informed that they would not support the appointment of M. Azarov to the office of the Prime Minister.
Representatives of the Party of Regions supported M. Azarov.
People’s deputies from the CPU faction also supported the candidacy of the acting Prime Minister.
The Verkhovna Rada gave its consent to appointment of Mykola Azarov to the post of the Prime Minister of Ukraine by the President of Ukraine by 252 votes.
The Chairman informed that under the Constitution of Ukraine the President of Ukraine was addressing the Verkhovna Rada with an Extraordinary Address on the domestic and foreign position of Ukraine.
People’s deputies watched the video with the address of the President of Ukraine V. Yanukovych.
The President of Ukraine congratulated people’s deputies with the start of work of the Verkhovna Rada of the seventh convocation.
In his Extraordinary Address to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine the President of Ukraine delineated the tasks to be accomplished.
V. Yanukovych asked the parliamentarians to ensure effective work of the parliament and invited all parliamentary forces to participate in the work of the Committee on Reforms and the Constitutional Assembly, as well as in work of executive branch of power.
V. Rybak announced the next issue on the agenda – the list and quantitative composition of the committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. He informed that the issue would be considered without the subjects of competence of the committees.
The Verkhovna Rada adopted the Resolution “On the list and quantitative composition of the committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.” The resolution established 27 committees and one ad hoc commission.
The Chairman adjourned the plenary meeting.
The next plenary meeting of the first session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the seventh convocation will be held on Tuesday, December 18.