Having opened morning plenary session, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Turchynov drew attention to the fact that several factions are not present in the session hall. He expressed understanding saying that the factions are now discussing important issues included into the agenda.    

The Chairman addressed factions’ leaders with a request to secure presence of the people’s deputies during the plenary meeting.

Oleksandr Turchynov announced that the people’s deputy Ihor Tsyrkin left the deputy faction of the Party of Regions and that the people’s deputies Oleksandr Dudka and Yurii Samoilenko joined this faction.

The Chairman granted the floor to the Chair of “Svoboda” faction Oleh Tiahnybok. The people’s deputy said that at present factions discuss staff issues, however, the issue “of deprivation of mandates of deputies Serhii Braik and Borys Deich has not yet been positively settled.”

O.Tiahnybok claimed that “Svoboda” faction demands that the Prosecutor General’s Office to immediately make submissions in order to deprive these people’s deputies of immunity and initiate criminal proceedings regarding “statements of the so-called people’s deputies of Ukraine.”

The Chairman proposed to consider inclusion of this issue into the agenda.

Voting on including these issues into the agenda failed.

Oleksandr Turchynov drew attention to the fact that “Batkivshchyna” deputy faction is not present in the session hall which does not allow holding resultative voting. He announced a break until 11:15 a.m.

After the break, Oleksandr Turchynov noted that discussion of initiation of the constitutional process in our country is quite intense. “This is understandable, since Constitution is the main document in line with which the country should live in this century,” he said. 

The Chairman suggested taking the decision on the issues discussed.

The Verkhovna Rada adopted the resolutions “On celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of father-metropolitan of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Vasyl Lypkivskyi” (Reg. No. 4097) and “On approving Recommendations of parliamentary hearings entitled “Legislative support to the development of information society in Ukraine” (Reg. No. 4190a).

The Verkhovna Rada also adopted the Resolution “On recognizing several resolutions of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as invalid” (Reg. No. 4216a).

The draft law on amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine regarding reinforcing guarantees of judges’ independence (Reg. No. 2522a) was reported by the Chair of the Committee on Judicial Policy Valerii Pysarenko. 

The Committee Chair noted that the bill is brought for consideration by the session hall and reminded that 300 votes are needed for its adoption. 

Representatives of the factions, that participated in the discussion, explained the reasons for not upholding this bill.

The people’s deputies rejected the bill (111 votes in favor).  

Oleksandr Turchynov invited the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko to discuss important staff issue regarding leadership of the Defence Ministry.

The Chairman informed also that the Prime Minister of Ukraine Arsenii Yatseniuk is also in attendance in the session hall. 

Oleksandr Turchynov granted the floor to the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko who provided his overall vision of the security structure and nominated candidacy for the post of the Defence Minister. 

The President appointed Yurii Kosiuk the First Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Administration.

Petro Poroshenko expressed gratitude to Mykhailo Koval for the high level of responsibility demonstrated on the post of Acting Defence Minister.

He informed about his decision to appoint Mykhailo Koval to the post of Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.

Petro Poroshenko expressed gratitude to the Chair of the Headquarters of the Armed Forces Mykhailo Kutsyn.

“Ukraine faces extremely difficult challenges. We must clean the army of those who parasitize stealing budget funds. We must restore the potential of our military and industrial complex that for many years has served as a cover for money laundering through the state defense order,” stressed the Head of the State.

According t him, holding of the ATO demonstrated complete collapse of military logistics.

Petro Poroshenko said that “arrival of new people in the security structures would break down corrupt schemes and allow bringing to justice the conspirators who tried to cash in on the safety of soldiers.”

"We will not let anyone discredit and vilify our army. The army needs your protection just like the country today needs the protection from the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the border guards and the Security Service. We shouldn't leave the state alone with those who are trying to defame it by repeating the voice of Russian propaganda,” Petro Poroshenko claimed, addressing the people’s deputies.

Oleksandr Turchynov informed that the President of Ukraine made a submission on dismissing Koval Mykhailo Volodymyrovych from performing the duties of the Defence Minister of Ukraine.

The Verkhovna Rada dismissed Colonel Mykhailo Koval from performing the duties of the Defence Minister of Ukraine. 

327 people’s deputies voted for the resolution (Reg. No. 4222a).

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Resolution on appointing Valerii Heletei the Defence Minister of Ukraine (Reg. No.4228a) by 260 votes.

Valerii Heletei took an oath of member of the Cabinet of Ministers and thanked the President and the people’s deputies for trust.

At the demand of “Batkivshchyna” and “Svoboda” factions a break was announced.

After the break Oleksandr Turchynov noted that it is necessary to include the bill on amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine (re authorities of the state bodies and local self-government) into the agenda.  

The Chairman informed that the bill was referred by the President of Ukraine. 

The Chairman invited the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko to the session hall and granted him the floor. 

The President of Ukraine presented the draft law on amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine (re authority of the state bodies and local self-government), registered under No. 4178a. 

Once again Petro Poroshenko thanked for upholding his staff issues and expressed conviction that fruitful cooperation between him and the Parliament will continue.

The President of Ukraine noted that “amendments to the Constitution that are referred for your consideration today are a much broader topic than the state structure, the form of government or the balance between the branches of power. It is an answer to the question whether united and indivisible Ukraine will exist or not. It is the issue of war and peace that occurred in the history of Ukraine for the first time. And it is the main part of my peace plan.”

The President stressed that it was the first time when the main thing in the amendments to the Constitution was a broad delegation of powers to communities, districts and regions. “The majority of changes concern namely the decentralization of power, the strengthening of constitutional-legal status of the local government and its financial opportunities. Decentralization suggested by us has been verified with the European experience. It is an antidote against federalization,”  he said.

Petro Poroshenko also expressed belief that adoption and implementation of amendments to the Constitution would become a reliable measure on the settlement of crisis in the Donbas and bring the government closer to people all over the country. “First of all, with instruments of the peace plan, we must fight for hearts of those who live in the Donbas. It will become our victory. After these challenges, we will become stronger and more united,” the President noted.

Chair of the Committee on Judicial Policy Valerii Pysarenko noted that the amendments aim at refining constitutional and legal status of higher bodies of state authority in line with fundamentals of state functioning under the parliamentary-presidential form of governance and at reforming constitutional and legal status of local self-governmental bodies.  

V.Pysarenko informed that consideration of this bill will not require holding of the All-Ukrainian referendum. 

The Committee Chair said that it is necessary to take one of the decisions: “First. Include the abovementioned bill into the agenda, so that the deputies could work on the text of this document.

Second. Adopt this bill, place on the agenda and simultaneously refer it to the Constitutional Court in order to receive its opinion. This decision can be taken exclusively by this session hall.”

“The Verkhovna Rada can take one of the decisions already today,” noted V.Pysarenko.

Representatives of deputy factions participated in the discussion of the bill.

Generally upholding inclusion of the bill into the agenda, the people’s deputies noted that they have lots of remarks and proposals to it.

Prior to voting, Oleksandr Turchynov addressed the people’s deputies asking to uphold the bill in order to start amending the Constitution.

Parliamentarians included the bill into the agenda by 277 votes.

Oleksandr Turchynov congratulated the people’s deputies with the beginning of the constitutional process. 

Parliamentarians considered three bills on the special period in the fuel and energy complex (Reg. No. 4117а, 4117а-1 and 4117а-2).

Yurii Prodan, Minister of Energy and Coal Industry, reported on the governmental bill (Reg. No. 4117a).

The alternative bills registered under No. 4117a-1 and No. 4117a-2 were presented by the people’s deputies Artur Martovytskyi and Yurii Derevianko.

Chair of the Committee on Fuel and Energy Complex, Nuclear Policy and Nuclear Safety Mykola Martynenko reported the Committee’s decision to recommend the Verkhovna Rada take the decision on these bills in the session hall.

Following the results of voting, none of the bills was adopted as a basis.

Prime Minister A.Yatseniuk addressed the coalition which, according to him, “should support the Government of Ukraine because the government is formed under the coalition principle.”

Oleksandr Turchynov addressed factions’ representatives to consult regarding these bills and adjourned morning session. 

At the beginning of evening session, the people’s deputies scrutinized four bills on restructuring foreign currency credit commitments into hryvnia (Reg. No. 4185а 4185а-1 4185а-2 and 4185а-3).

The First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Finance and Banking Oleksii Kaida and the people’s deputies Mykola Rudkovskyi, Ruslan Kniazevych and Mykhailo Opanashchenko presented the bills. 

O.Kaida informed the Committee’s decision to recommend the Verkhovna Rada take the decisions on these bills in the session hall.

Following the results of voting, the bill registered under No. 4185a-2 of the people’s deputy R.Kniazevych was adopted as a basis by 289 votes.

The people’s deputies considered one more staff issue – on appointing members of the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council.

The proposals were outlined by the Chair of the Committee on Freedom of Speech and Information Mykola Tomenko. 

The Presiding read out surnames of 16 nominees to the post of members of the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council.

Voting was not resultative.

Oleksandr Turchynov asked factions’ representatives to consult on this issue.

The people’s deputies upheld the proposal to consider the latter voting to be a signal one, and vote on appointing members of the National Television and Radio Broadcasting Council tomorrow.  

Parliamentarians did not uphold the proposal to return to the bill registered under No. 4117a.

The draft law on reforming the management system in the Single Gas Transportation System of Ukraine (Reg. No. 4116a) was reported by Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Yurii Prodan. 

Chair of the Committee on Fuel and Energy Complex, Nuclear Policy and Nuclear Safety Mykola Martynenko reported the Committee’s decision to recommend the Verkhovna Rada adopt the bill as a basis and in entirety. 

Voting failed (170 votes in favor).

Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Yurii Prodan reported on the draft law on amendments to several laws of Ukraine re securing payments in the fuel and energy complex (Reg. No. 4225a).

The bill was adopted as a basis and in entirety by 277 votes.

The people’s deputies adopted as a basis the draft law on amendments to the Tax Code of Ukraine (re restructuring foreign currency credit commitments into hryvnia) (Reg. No. 4186a-1) by 243 votes.

The Verkhovna Rada adopted as a basis the following draft laws: on voluntary association of territorial communities (Reg. No. 4070a); on the principles of state regional policy (Reg. No. 4069a); on moratorium for compulsory sale of dwelling, compulsory disconnection of utility services and prohibition to imposing and collecting fines and other punitive sanctions in case of untimely payment for utility services by citizens residing on the territory of antiterrorist operation in the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts (Reg. No. 4188a); on amendments to the laws of Ukraine “On Education” and “On Mobilization Training and Mobilization” re guarantees for students, aspirants, teaching and academic personnel” (Reg. No. 4889).   

The people’s deputies have also adopted the Resolution “On setting the date of parliamentary hearings entitled “Defence capacity of Ukraine in the XXI century: challenges, threats and ways to overcome them” registered under No. 4231a. Parliamentary hearings are scheduled for July 23, 2014.

The Presiding adjourned evening session.

Next plenary meeting of the Verkhovna Rada will be held on Friday, July 4.