21 January 2014, 09:39
Unprecedented number of consultations and complicated talks between parliamentary faction leaders involving leaders of the Verkhovna Rada was one of the peculiarities of the third session of the Verkhovna Rada on the background of socio-political crisis.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Volodymyr Rybak expressed such an idea in the article “The key problem is that the significant part of MPs drifts apart from electorate”, published in the Holos Ukrainy newspaper on Tuesday.
“In the last two months such negotiations were held almost daily and lasted for hours in heated debates. Their content laid in tense search of a compromise between different political forces and ways of bringing the country out of the long-lasting crisis,” said Volodymyr Rybak. “The subject matter of these consultations was first of all dictated by the demands of the Maidan and, secondly, it was supplemented by political claims of opposition leaders,” he added.
Particularly, the Chairman of the Parliament informed that they discussed issues pertaining to hard collisions on Maidan – punishment of the personnel of militia special units, guilty of using excessive force against demonstrators, and suspension of persecutions of the participants of protest actions. According to him, there were heated discussions on the requirement of Maidan and politicians to resign the Government of Ukraine. The large number of issues, according to Volodymyr Rybak, pertained to the need to amend the applicable legislation. In particular, opposition demands to adopt new electoral legislation; amend the laws on election of the President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and councils of all levels; adopt the new Law “On the All-Ukrainian Referendum”; amend the legislation of Ukraine in the part of court system; and to provide new composition of the Central Election Commission as well as hold elections in the councils of all levels, including of 5 oblast mayors and the Kyiv mayor, after the electoral legislation is being amended.
In order to better realize complexity of the talks with opposition leaders, Volodymyr Rybak provided several examples of these “political battles”: “Last Tuesday and Wednesday opposition has formed its requirements to the authority. Inter alia there were country-destructive ultimatums like suspension of payment of taxes, suggestion to hold nationwide strike and refuse to buy products that opposition associates with the business of the Party of Regions. Absolutely absurd things! Finally, on Wednesday 9 less or more constructive suggestions were placed on the negotiating table. However, already the next day, on Thursday, the opposition has set additional conditions – to establish the Temporary Inquiry Commission for investigation of the known events on the Maidan and amend the adopted law on amnesty of the participants of street protests. I have personally put forward proposals on refinement of this law in order to make it an effective legal tool and immediately accelerate release of the detained people. However, there was another dead end – opposition was not satisfied with the provision on the actions of law-enforcers.
My new suggestion was to establish a joint group in order to jointly solve all the problems and stop blocking the work of the Parliament. In return – blocking of the presidium and the tribune of the Verkhovna Rada by opposition female deputies! Another disruption of the plenary meeting! On the other side 260 deputies from the majority and majoritarian ones demand urgently consider the 2014 budget and adopt it in the interest of the country and electorate. Apart from this, the majority insists on stopping blocking of the administrative buildings, inadmissibility of any manifestations of violence, or threats of violence.”
Volodymyr Rybak stressed that inflexible and ultimatum behavior of the opposition, as well as obstruction instead of a compromise has finally made the majority part of the Parliament to work in an unusual for the legislative meeting regime. “I shall add that I have daily informed the President of Ukraine on the course of our consultations. He has demonstrated political flexibility and awareness of complexity of the parliamentary situation. After the meeting with the Head of the state I have entrusted legal services of the Parliament to work on all of the suggestions of the Parties in order to take legitimate decisions,” he noted.
“I have to say that despite high emotional tension during these negotiations in the office of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada I would nevertheless name them enough constructive and useful for maintaining the dialogue. All the arguments of the opposition leaders were heard and brought to the attention of top state leadership. On its part, the opposition would have to be satisfied that leaders of the state and the Government show their readiness to continue dialogue and search for a compromise,” said the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada. “I can say that this hard work has resulted in the joint decision to establish a working group consisting of representatives of opposition and the authority in order to prepare adjusted proposals and also prepare questions to opposition factions,” added the Chairman.