Parliamentary arithmetic: balance of power changes in committees

Interfaction negotiations held in the end of the last month resulted in the Party of Regions controlling the majority of Parliamentary Committees. However, the superiority of the party in power may even rise. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has registered draft Resolution on making amendments to the Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The document was submitted by member of the Party of Regions Volodymyr Makeienko. He has proposed to change the composition of 21 Committees. The draft resolution provides withdrawal of MPs from one Committees and inclusion in the other, as well as changes in administrative board of some Committees. In the other words, the party in power is ready to violate interfactional arrangements, secured by the Resolution on Committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of seventh convocation.

The majority in the certain committee is secured through non-public agreements

According to agreements concluded in December, the Party of Regions and its allies have received the majority in 19 of 29 Committees of the Verkhovna Rada. In seven of them, which govern economic and social issues, the party in power has single majority. Appointment of the Committee Heads became the key issue of the division. Members of the Party of Regions are presiding over 13 the most influential committees. A decision to give the Committee on Budget to the sphere of influence of the pro-power party have caused a lot of controversy, because it was traditionally chaired by the opposition. As a result of an interfaction compromise, opposition forces are controlling 5 committees and have received 12 leading positions. In another 4 committees, the influence of the power and the opposition is almost equally divided. However, the draft Resolution, submitted by Volodymyr Makieienko may dissolve the existing agreements and increase the influence of the party in power. Taking into consideration the division of parliamentary forces and the influence of Volodymyr Makieienko in the Party of Regions, the document has all the chances to be adopted.Quotas for administrative board and membership of committees are determined in proportion of the faction membership to the actual number of MPs. However, the legislation doesn't regulate the establishment of spheres of influence. The majority in the certain committee is secured through non-public agreements. When forming the effective committees in December 2012, all the parties have chosen not to announce their intentions regarding this important part of parliamentary activity. All the agreements were concluded privately. The public was informed about their results post factum from the resolution on Committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the seventh convocation, which established the membership and administrative board of Committees.

Controlling without communists

The analysis of proposed rotations showed that the Party of Regions may get control over 2 more committees, the majority in which is secured by the coalition with the communists today. In particular, it's the Committee on Agrarian Policy, which a member of the PR Oleksandr Dudka is planning to enter. The MP worked in the Committee on State Building and Local Self-Government before. At the same time, a representative of the opposition Volodymyr Kupchak is planning to leave the Committee on Agrarian Policy and join the Committee on Fuel and Energy Complex. In this case, the Party of Regions will receive 15 votes of 29 in the Committee.

The analysis of proposed rotations showed that the Party of Regions may get control over 2 more committees, the majority in which is secured by the coalition with the communists today

If the Resolution submitted by Makieienko will be adopted, the Party of Regions will also gain the control over the Committee on Legislative Support of Law Enforcement. For today, the Committee consists of 17 MPs, 8 of which are representatives of the party in power. Another member of the PR is planning to join it in the nearest future. He has already filed a statement on withdrawal from the Organized Crime Control and Anti-Corruption Committee.

Extending the influence of the coalition of the PR and the CPU

In general, the draft resolution submitted by Makeienko provides that the party in power receives the majority in 5 committees of the Verkhovna Rada. Besides 2 committees mentioned above, another 3 will also be controlled by the coalition of the PR and the CPU.

The Party of Regions is planning to substitute Viktor Tykhonov in the Committee on European Integration by Inna Bohoslovska, who is supposed to become the Deputy Head. Besides that, Ivan Myrnay has also shown the desire to work in this very Committee. One more MP will secure 9 of 17 votes in the Committee for the Party of Regions and the CPU.

Yurii Blahodyr from the Party of Regions is planning to enter the Committee on Environmental Policy, Use of Natural Resources and Chornobyl Aftermath Mitigation. For today, the opposition as well as the party in power doesn’t have the majority in this Committee. However, after Mr. Blahodyr will enter it, the Party of Regions and the CPU will receive 8 of 15 votes.

The Committee on Public Health will also undergo changes, as long as member of the Party of Regions Yurii Poliachenko is planning to enter it. After he joins, parties in power will have 7 of 13 votes in it.

Strengthening committees with MPs in power

Together with the rotations, which will lead to the change of existing spheres of influence, the draft resolution submitted by Makeienko provides strengthening positions of the PR in some committees. It will be reached through including additional MPs to their membership.

MPs of the Party of Regions Stanislav Berezkin and Mykhailo Opanashchenko will possibly join the Committee on Taxation and Customs Policy. Yevhen Morozko wants to leave the Committee on Matters of Pensioners, Veterans and Persons with Disabilities and join the Committee on Entrepreneurship, Regulatory and Antimonopoly Policy. Serhii Matviienko is planning to join the Committee on Industrial and Investment Policy.

According to the Makeienko's resolution, the Party of Regions is planning to appoint Taisiia Povalii as the first Deputy Head of the Committee on Culture and Spirituality. Yakiv Tabachnyk is planned to become the Secretary of the Organized Crime Control and Anti-Corruption Committee, and Olersandr Koval – the Secretary of the Committee on Entrepreneurship, Regulatory and Antimonopoly Policy.

Changes in membership of the VRU committees if the "Mekeienko's resolution" will be adopted

Role of the opposition in case the resolution on committees of the 7th convocation will be amended

Similarly to the Party of Regions, the opposition also has the chance to make changes in the membership of committees. If the resolution submitted by Makeienko will be adopted, Volodymyr Kupchak from the AUU Batkivshchyna will enter the Committee on Fuel and Energy Complex, Nuclear Policy and Nuclear Safety. The MP was working in the Committee on Agrarian Policy and Land Relations before. The MP from the UDAR Valerii Ishchenko will leave the Committee on Industrial and Investment Policy and join the Committee on construction, city planning, housing service and regional politics.

On one hand, the Party of Regions will reestablish the spheres of influence and strengthen control in the certain committees through exclusion of some MPs. On the other hand, positions of the opposition will be also strengthened as long as they will receive majority in these committees. In particular, exclusion of Oleksandr Dudka, Volodymyr Kutsuba and Volodymyr Pekhov from the Committee on State Building and Local Self-Government will allow the Batkivshchyna All-Ukrainian Union to get the majority – 7 of 13 votes. The Party of Regions will strengthen its control in the Committee on Fuel and Energy Complex and the Committee on Entrepreneurship by moving Anatolii Honcharov and Yevhenii Morozenko from the Committee on Matters of Pensioners, Veterans and Persons with Disabilities. After such change, the membership of the Committee will consist of 5 persons, 4 of which belong to the opposition. However, in accordance with the effective Resolution, membership of a Committee shall not be less than 9 persons. Therefore, poor interest to the issues of pensioners, veterans and persons with disabilities calls into question the expediency of the whole Committee.