A PLENARY MEETING OF THE FIRST SESSION OF THE VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE OF THE 6TH CONVOCATION WAS HELD ON FRIDAY 7 DECEMBER
437 People's Deputies registered to attend the Meeting.
Prior to the beginning of the Meeting, the People's Deputies of the Party of Regions Faction blocked the Presidium and lectern.
Opening the Morning Meeting, The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatseniuk, reported on the progress of negotiations between the Factions concerning nominations to the positions of the First Vice-Chairman and Vice-Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. He expressed his belief in reaching a general settlement by compromise.
Yatseniuk said that the Conciliative Council had finished its sitting late on Thursday, and expressed his hope of a speedy agreement in the major principles behind the allocation of Factions to Committees. He repeated the key outstanding issue on the Agenda, i.e. the election of the First Vice-Chairman and Vice-Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The matter of Committees will be the next for consideration.
In view of on-going consultations on this election, and a request received from two Factions those of The Communist Party of Ukraine and The Party of Regions - for a 30 minute recess, the Chair granted a recess.
Following this, A. Yatseniuk addressed the Deputies, asking them to refrain from any further non-constructive approach to their work in The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, following the pressure they exerted on him by blocking the lectern of The Verkhovna Rada.
A. Yatseniuk stressed that none of the matters beyond the Standing Orders of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine had been included in the Agenda within the last two days of the workings, including that of the setting up an Ad Hoc Inquiry Panel. Addressing those Factions which had criticized the decision on this Panel, A. Yatseniuk said that they should appreciate this as a legitimate and correct approach to the work of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
After this, the Chair asked the Member of Factions to review the progress made by the Concillative Council.
Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of the BYuT Faction, conveyed the propositions made by the Faction of Democratic Forces to the Factions of Minority. She considered it a mistake that the three Factions have today failed to reach an agreement and bring before Parliament a single package. Yu. Tymoshenko also said that the Coalition offers the position of First Vice-Chairman to the Factions of The Parliamentary Minority for their consideration and agreement, and that the Coalition is ready to start bilateral consultations with each of the Factions.
Yu. Tymoshenko said her Faction stands for overcoming all antagonisms and conflicts.
Volodymyr Lytvyn, leader of The Lytvyn Bloc Faction, warned of a dangerous trend manifesting itself today, where efforts are in hand to create an artificial division into two halves and 'trenches are being dug' within The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
Dwelling on the assignment of positions, V. Lytvyn warned of the reoccurrence of old practices, which had destroyed the preceding Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, with the handing out of positions in exchange for joining the Coalition.
V. Lytvyn referred to this as 'political corruption'. 'We should not take any underhand action with regard to the distribution of positions. Let us instead turn to those problems and proposals, which we put forward during the election campaign'.
V. Lytvyn stressed that his Faction had come to The Verkhovna Rada to work, and that this opportunity should be made possible for its members..
Roman Zvarych, of the 'Our Ukraine People's Self-Defence' Bloc, declared the Official position of his Faction: the Party of Regions and The Lytvyn Bloc are invited to nominate their candidate, any member of their Factions, to the position of the First Vice-Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. 'Our Ukraine People's Self-Defence' will then vote for this candidate.
R. Zvarych also said that 'Our Ukraine People's Self-Defence' Faction is against the motion from the Party of Regions to define a rating for each committee. This will offend both the membership and chairmen of those committees with a lower rating, equally with the whole strata of society whose problems these committees have to resolve.
'We shall never uphold a motion to spend a whole day sat in a darkened room calculating these rating point, since we consider this total banditry and pillage. We shall put a stop to banditry within this Assembly Room. We shall never agree to it'. R. Zvarych reported that his Faction seconds the motion made by the leader of 'The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc' as to the assignment of posts between the Coalition and the Minority.
The leader of the CPU Faction, Petro Symonenko, said that The Verkhovna Rada must strike a balance in its working as regards the organisation of power following the election returns. The Communists insist on assigning those Committees responsible for the Internal Policy of the State to the Factions who are not part of the Coalition.
Mykola Azarov, of the Party of Regions Faction, described the words addressed to his Faction by the leader of BYuT Yulia Tymoshenko as untrue. The Party of Regions is blocking the Presidium and lectern, as it stands for an appropriate organisation of the workings of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and not because it of seeking for additional rating points or positions.
The Faction will not allow the Party of Regions, who represent one half of Ukraine's population, to be subject to the use of force and ultimatums, said M. Azarov. Mykola Azarov addressed the Members of the Coalition of Democratic Forces, ' Constructive work for the benefit of the Ukrainian people will only become possible once you have realised the simple truth: that we want this also and it is possible to cooperate with us in a beneficial way,
M. Azarov stressed, that should the Coalition make a constructive motion, his Faction will be able to reach an understanding and an agreement.
Summing up the addresses by the Members of Factions, the Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Arseniy Yatseniuk, stated that the position of First Vice-Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada will be assigned to the Minority, which has not yet formed an Opposition. This item remains on the Agenda. The Verkhovna Rada is waiting for an official motion from the Majority Factions on the nominations for the position of First Vice-Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada.
Then A. Yatseniuk informed the Deputies, that the Majority has nominated Mykola Tomenko of BYuT for the position of Vice-Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada. This matter can be considered at a Plenary Meeting, once it has been discussed by the Faction and after the Candidate has conducted the appropriate consultations.
A. Yatseniuk then referred to the Law of Ukraine 'On the Cabinet of Ministers' and Clause 200 of the Standing Orders of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, pursuant to which voting to elect the Prime Minister, should a candidate be nominated, and the Government membership will, at any event, be held on Tuesday. This is a clear-cut rule laid down in the Legislation and the Standing Orders.
A. Yatseniuk requested the leaders of the Factions to stop blocking the workings of The Verkhovna Rada.
The Chair summarized the progress made so far, saying that the final motions concerning the election of the First Vice-Chairman are not yet available but that consultations are ongoing. He than declared the Meeting closed.
The next Plenary Meeting of the First Session of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the 6th Convocation will be held on Tuesday 11 December.