War legislation: which initiatives are registered in the Verkhovna Rada

On July 15, 2020, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Resolution scheduling regular 2020 local elections by 326 votes. The Parliament has exercised its constitutional authority to call regular local elections and provided legal certainty in the organization and conduct of the election campaign.

Legislative authorities in different countries take the unprecedented preventive measures by introducing restrictions for journalists, observers, and the MPs alike. Some parliaments adopted decisions on the abridged procedures for debate, or even on the temporary suspension of their sittings. However, a key question the MPs are trying to answer is about their overall role during the counteraction to a large-scale social challenge. For the period of fighting the COVID-19, executive authorities...

MPs from the AUU Batkivshchyna and the Opposition Platform - For Life missed the biggest number of votings in the session hall over 100 days of Verkhovna Rada's work. Thus, Vitalii Danilov (Batkivshchyna) was absent at 71.3% of parliamentary sessions, Serhii Taruta (Batkivshchyna) - 68.5%, Vadym Rabinovych (Opposition Platform - For Life) - 66.1%.

The Parliament of IX convocation has had 100 days in power on December 6. Thus, MPs have registered 885 bills over this period of time, 94 of which were adopted. They have pressed the voting button almost 500,000 times. There are faction leaders among "rebels", and the faction in power excluded three MPs from the party.

Taking into consideration publicly announced intentions to consider lifting immunity of MPs on the very first day of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of IX convocation, Civil Network OPORA calls on newly-elected MPs of Ukraine to take this matter responsibly and with consideration of international standards. Decisions based on the popularity of pre-election promises can significantly weaken the institutional capacity of Parliament and independence of MPs.

On August 29, IX convocation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine will start to work. It has been already announced that in addition to MPs taking an oath on this first day, its is planned to elect leadership of parliament, form VRU committees and consider ten draft laws. Civil Network OPORA has analyzed peculiarities of the previous convocation of the Parliament and prepared 20 facts about it.