AN EXTRAORDINARY PLENARY MEETING OF THE VERKHOVNA RADA OF THE SEVENTH CONVOCATION WAS HELD ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2014.
Having opened the morning meeting, Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov claimed that it is necessary to consider several issues today. "These are the issues we did not manage to consider last time due to provocations at the Verkhovna Rada. Such issues include: insurance of the right for military men participating in the ATO and residing outside the dislocation of their military units to vote; amendments to the state budget; provision of medicines and vaccines against HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis to hospitals; insurance of rights of displaced persons who were forced to leave their homes.
Oleksandr Turchynov claimed the Parliament can not consider the issues and adopt them, since there are less than 226 people's deputies. He addressed leaders of deputies groups and factions asking them to immediately ensure presence of people's deputies and announced a break for 30 minutes.
After the break, the Chairperson gave the floor to representatives of deputies groups and factions for providing information about readiness to consider the agenda issues.
The Chairperson informed that 225 people's deputies registered for the plenary meeting, however, it was not enough for work and announced another break.
After another break, Oleksandr Turchynov informed that Prime-Minister A.Yatseniuk participates in the meeting.
The Chairperson registered people's deputies – 240 of them registered for participation in the plenary meeting.
He gave the floor to Prime-Minister A.Yatseniuk who addressed people's deputies on behalf of the Government. He asked them to vote for several extremely important laws for the country. Firstly, he mentioned the bill on internally displaced persons, claiming that this draft stipulates legal bases for determining an internally displaced person.
The Prime-Minister asked the MPs to vote for the bill on provision of medicines.
People's deputies upheld the suggestion to discuss the bills according to a simplified procedure.
Prime-Minister A.Yatseniuk reported on the bill on amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On Medicines" re turnover and state control over quality of medicines imported to the customs territory of Ukraine (Reg. No. 4459a).
Chairperson of the Committee on Public Health Tetiana Bakhteieva said that this bill will not work and will not give a possibility for the Ministry of Health to carry out vaccination. She said she would not vote for this bill.
Following the results of the voting, the bill did not receive enough votes (215 in favour).
Prime-Minister A.Yatseniuk again addressed the MPs asking to vote for this bill which enables to vaccinate 509 thousand persons.
People's deputies adopted the bill with 230 votes.
MPs upheld the next bill on approving the National Target Social Programme on Combating HIV/AIDS for 2014-2018 (Reg. No. 4384a) with 244 votes.
The Verkhovna Rada adopted as a basis and in entirety the draft law on amendments to annex No. 3 of the Law of Ukraine "On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2014" (re social protection of disabled persons, veterans and ATO participants) (Reg. No. 5146).
Two bills on internally displaced persons were included into the agenda (Reg. No. 4490а, 4490а-1).
The Chairperson suggested not considering the first bill (Reg. No. 4490a) due to absence of its author –Yu.Miroshnychenko.
Chairperson of the Committee on Human Rights, National Minorities and International Relations reported on the bill under Reg. No. 4490а-1. He mentioned that this bill stipulates creating a single state registrar of internally displaced persons.
However, the bill did not receive enough votes (187 in favour).
Chairperson of the Parliament suggested adopting the bill in the version of the specializing committee.
The people’s deputies upheld the bill in entirety by 249 votes.
The draft law on amendments to several legislative acts of Ukraine (re certain inheritance issues) (Reg. No. 5141) was included into the agenda.
The bill was presented by its author – the people’s deputy Serhii Mishchenko.
S.Mishchenko reminded that it goes not about the Law on inheritance, but rather about signing the law since it was adopted on May 29 this year by 243 people’s deputies. He called on the MPs to vote for this law and sign it immediately.
The Minister of Justice Pavlo Petrenko informed that the Cabinet of Ministers upholds this bill. He noted that the bill was refined jointly with the authors and it will work.
The bill was adopted as a basis and in entirety by 254 votes.
Chairperson of the Committee on State Building and Local Self-Government Davyd Zhvaniia and the people’s deputy Leonid Yemets reported on the bills on amendments to several laws of Ukraine re securing proper organization of election process of the people’s deputies of Ukraine (Reg. No. 5157) and on amendments to the Law “On Election of the People’s Deputies of Ukraine” re securing implementation of constitutional electoral rights of participants of antiterrorist operation during early election of the people’s deputies of Ukraine on October 26, 2014 (Reg. No. 5157-1), prior to including the abovementioned bills into the agenda and taking the decision on them.
The bills were not included into the agenda.
This drew indignation of certain people’s deputies.
It was proposed to find a compromise in order to provide people, defending peaceful right of choice for the majority of the citizens of Ukraine, to voice out their stand during the elections.
Representatives of those supporting placement of the bills on the agenda called on their colleagues to vote for these bills.
The Presiding put the bills to the repeated vote in order to include them into the agenda. Following the results of voting, they did not get enough votes (138 votes in favour and 202 – against).
Committee Chairperson Davyd Zhvaniia noted that “there is gambling on this bill taking place.” He reminded that the bill was coordinated with the Central Election Commission, the Defense Ministry and the Internal Affairs Ministry. This bill was twice scrutinized during the meetings of the Verkhovna Rada Committee. It is adjusted.
Voting on including the bill (Reg. No. 5157) into the agenda was not successful (210 votes in favour).
Oleksandr Turchynov said that voting records will be published.
Another voting was unsuccessful either (214 votes in favour).
The people’s deputies did not uphold inclusion of the bills registered under No. 5036, 4443a and 4143 into the agenda.
Oleksandr Turchynov noted that there is insufficient number of the people’s deputies in the session hall for further work and expressed hope that “the next Parliament will adopt these laws. The laws that are important to the state.” He adjourned the plenary meeting.