14 March 2011, 15:28
Deputies will not be able to vote for each other after the upgraded system "Rada-3" is put into operation, "so talks that the new upgraded system might be put out of action with the help of cell phones or some other equipment are groundless." Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, made this statement at Monday´s briefing. V. Lytvyn announced that the upgraded system "Rada-3" was being tested, and the specialists are convinced that one can not get round it. He also intends appealing to the Cabinet of Ministers for its special communication service to give its conclusion concerning operational reliability of this system.
V. Lytvyn is convinced that the Parliament will uphold the draft resolution on putting the upgraded "Rada-3" system into operation. The Head of the Parliament reminded that pursuant to the Constitution of 1996, he had no authority to put the system into operation by his Decree: "The rejected Constitution envisaged that the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada organizes work of the Parliament, thus the decision concerning operation of an upgraded system would have been adopted according to the Decree of the Chairman of the Parliament, whereas the applicable Constitution envisages that the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada simply "holds the parliamentary sitting."
V. Lytvyn is convinced that it is impossible to use system "Rada-4", since it requires extra funding and "would raise serious legislative concerns."
V. Lytvyn does not accept the proposal to set one ‘voting day´ a week. He explained that People´s Deputies can demonstrate responsibility for their work and voting not only with the help of an upgraded voting system, "as in this case one may suggest putting Deputies in chains on their working places." We should introduce a voting system for the People´s Deputies to understand their responsibility before the voters," V. Lytvyn stressed.