THE VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE CONTINUED ITS PLENARY WORK ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23
At the beginning of the morning session, the people’s deputies took the floor with statements, announcement and proposals.
At the demand of Batkivshchyna and UDAR factions a break was announced.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Volodymyr Rybak invited faction leaders for consultation.
Leader of the Batkivshchyna faction Arsenii Yatsenyuk explained the reasons, due to which the faction demanded a break. According to him, yesterday, “the issue of inclusion into the agenda and consideration of agenda items was put to vote for several times. The faction did not vote because the Party of Regions refuses to consider the issue of Kyiv mayoral election and elections to the Kyiv City Council”.
A.Yatsenyuk noted that opposing factions will vote for the agenda of October 23-25, under the condition of placing on it the draft resolution on Kyiv mayoral election and elections to the Kyiv City Council.
A.Yatsenyuk informed also that during the consultation of deputy faction leaders, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine obliged himself to send a letter to the Foreign Affairs Minister with a demand to provide clear explanations regarding participation of the staff of Berkut special units in today’s and previous events near the Kyiv City Council.
A.Yatsenyuk asked Volodymyr Rybak to announce and confirm these arrangements and put these issues to vote.
The Presiding at the meeting noted that it is necessary to agree on the list of agenda items, planned for consideration today, on Thursday, and on Friday. He voiced out the demands of factions on inclusion of the bills, they insist on, into the agenda.
Volodymyr Rybak informed that he has mandated to prepare the letter to the Internal Affairs Minister with a request to provide information about today’s developments near the Kyiv City Council.
The Chairman noted also that all the ministers, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, will be present on Friday during the Government Question Hour and the people’s deputies will be able to ask them questions and listen to their responses.
The Chairman proposed the people’s deputies to approve the agenda of meetings of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for October 23-25, 2013, being supplemented with the bills referred by factions.
The agenda was approved by 317 votes.
The people’s deputies considered the issue of including into the agenda the draft resolution on setting the date of early elections of Kyiv mayor and the deputies of the Kyiv City Council (re holding elections 60 days after the resolution is adopted). The respective bill was registered under No. 3003.
The people’s deputy Volodymyr Yavorivskyi reported on the bill. According to him, the bill does not provide any fixed date for holding elections. He suggested set the date of elections of Kyiv mayor and the deputies of the Kyiv City Council 60 days after the resolution is adopted.
During the discussion, representatives of opposing factions noted that lawful elections in Kyiv should have been held long time ago and the things that happen now go beyond common sense.
Representative of the Party of Regions, Volodymyr Oliynyk said that the reason of current discussion and collision are the illegal actions of present opposition that was in office in 2008.
Representative of the Communist Party of Ukraine Adam Martyniuk noted that those who demanded holding of early elections in the capital in 2008 are responsible for the current situation.
A.Martyniuk noted the Communist faction has always upheld the suggestions on holding elections. “We stand for holding early elections in Kyiv and Ternopil,” he stressed.
The draft resolution was placed on the agenda of meetings of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for October 23-25 (199 votes “for”).
Further on, parliament members considered the issue of ratification.
The draft law on ratification of the Protocol between the Cabinet of Ministers and the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan on Withdrawal of Certain Products From Free Trade to the Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan on Free Trade of July 6, 2001 was reported by the First Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade Anatolii Maksiuta. The government official noted that the Protocol was signed on June 28, 2012 in Kyiv and comes into force on the date of last notification on fulfillment of the necessary inner-state procedures by the Parties.
Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs Oleksandr Kozub reported the decision of the Committee to recommend the Verkhovna Rada uphold the draft law and ratify the abovementioned Protocol.
The people’s deputies expressed remarks to the bill and proposed not to uphold it.
The bill was rejected (156 votes “for”).
The Verkhovna Rada has ratified the Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Hungary on Transportation of Nuclear Materials between the Russian Federation and Hungary through the Territory of Ukraine.
The people’s deputies did not uphold the draft laws on ratification of the Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Sudan in the Sphere of Research and Use of Cosmic Space for Peaceful Purposes and on ratification of the Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of the Ukraine and the Government of the United Arab Emirates on Mutual Protection of Information with Limited Access.
The First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ihor Kalyetnik adjourned the plenary meeting.
Next plenary meeting will be held on Thursday, October 24.