25 August 2009, 15:18
Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, takes a critical attitude towards the national discussion of the Bill on Amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine and implementation of its results.
"I will take the liberty to state that the referendum will not take place, as the announcement of a referendum requires a number of conditions: thus, the registered groups of initiative shall be set up to collect 3 million signatures of the citizens in total and at least 100 thousand signatures in the two thirds of the regions", - stated V.Lytvyn, commenting on the Decree of the President of Ukraine "On the National Discussion of the Bill "On Amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine", pursuant to which, the national discussion shall take place till 1 December 2009.
"In order to collect the signatures and announce a referendum, one should have a certain level of people´s confidence, at least 20 per cent", - he added.
According to V.Lytvyn, even if all the required procedures are observed and the referendum is declared, "the issue concerning postponement of the referenda with already collected signatures will immediately arise, especially concerning the referendum on Ukraine´s accession to the NATO". The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine admitted the possibility of announcing local referenda "within the scope of the national referendum", which "can result in the destruction of the fabric of our society". "A referendum is the most full-fledged demonstration of democracy, but this instrument must be used with great caution", - he stated.
"The President devised a new form a national discussion. However, it is not clear which legal principles rule in this case. It is obvious that a political and partly a moral principle are present, - stated V.Lytvyn. I came to the only conclusion this is an electoral move".
Moreover, according to V.Lytvyn, "the way of using the results of the referendum is another problem", as the referendum of 2000 failed to bear any consequences in practice. "I can hardly imagine the outcome of the referendum, as only The Verkhovna Rada can implement any results of it. However, you do understand that it is impossible at least till the middle of 2010", - stated the leader of the Parliament.
V.Lytvyn also stressed that the elections of the village, settlement and city mayors and the local councils were coming, therefore "it is necessary to prevent the overlapping of the presidential campaign and the local elections".
"The conclusion is obvious: mutual understanding and common responsibility at all the levels of authority must be developed", - he summarized.