06 October 2010, 12:31
"It is symbolic that the authorities liquidated the last day of the opposition after the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly passed the resolution on the situation in Ukraine", Mykola Tomenko, Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, stated at the briefing.
M.Tomenko is surprised at the following response: no sooner has the Council of Europe drawn attention to the curtailment of democratic institutes and freedom of speech, that the Opposition Day envisaged by the Standing Orders of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine was liquidated. "I must sadly admit that on restoration of the old constitutional provisions, the parliamentary opposition becomes no longer an institute for the authorities to reckon with," he stressed.
The Deputy Chairman declared that the opposition would find the way to protect the public interests. He warned that when the Parliament had liquidated the opposition in the past, the public opposition had emerged. "If the Verkhovna Rada cynically abolishes the rights of the parliamentary opposition, the public opposition will rise," the politician stated.
"The Constitution having been amended, the authorities may further curtail all the democratic institutes and restrict alternative opinions. However, we will apply ourselves to protect the rights of the opposition," M.Tomenko stated.
The Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine believes that the authorities and the coalition made a grave mistake. "Nevertheless, we will look for the methods to support the actions and rights of the opposition regardless of a new version of the Standing Orders of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine," M.Tomenko stated. "The opposition will work in the Parliament on a daily basis despite the provisions of the Standing Orders," he emphasized.