Contents tagged with Verkhovna Rada

  • Ukrainian parliament rejects Zelensky’s proposal to change election system

    At an extraordinary session of Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, convened by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday 22 May, the MPs voted against the president’s proposed change to the parliamentary election system. Zelensky’s bill proposed to transition from a plurality voting system to a proportional representation system with closed party lists and a lowering of the entry barrier from 5% to 3%.

    Experts expect that the old system will still be used for the Rada’s elections on 21 …

  • Zelensky calls on EU to strengthen sanctions against Russia

    During a meeting with the Vice-President of The European Commission Maroš Šefčovič on May 20, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted the importance of strengthening sanctions against Russia and called on the European Union to continue sanctions pressure, reports Press-service of the President, Radio Liberty reports.

    "The strengthening of sanctions against Russia as a reaction to their aggression is something we hope for. I hope that the pressure through the sanctions from the EU will …

  • Ukrainian Foreign Minister Klimkin submits resignation to Zelensky

    Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin announced that we would submit his resignation and intends to become a deputy of the Ukrainian Parliament (the Verkhovna Rada).

    "As promised, I have submitted a resignation. On Monday, the day of the inauguration, I will send it to the Verkhovna Rada and the new President of Ukraine," said Klimkin in a video message posted on Facebook.

    Klimkin also said that he is ready to help the new government in the areas of "common principles and vision."

    He also …

  • NATO representatives to attend Zelensky's inauguration

    Assistant Secretary General of NATO, Ambassador Alejandro Alvargonzalez will represent NATO at the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, reports Interfax-Ukraine.

    "Assistant Secretary General of Department of Political Affairs and Security Policy Ambassador Alejandro Alvargonzalez will represent NATO at the inauguration of President Zelensky. During his stay in Kyiv, Ambassador Alvargonzalez will also participate in the reception dedicated to the 70 …

  • Sacked head of Ukraine’s Constitutional Court talks of anti-constitutional coup

    Stanislav Shevchuk, who was recently dismissed from his position as chairperson of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, described the incident as an “anti-constitutional coup” orchestrated by President Petro Poroshenko.

    “Today there was an anti-constitutional coup in the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, and the capture of state authority by people who have been judges for the Constitutional Court of Ukraine,” Shevchuk wrote on Facebook.

    Shevchuk also said that the developments constitute a “ …

  • Zelensky's team publishes video petition to dissolve Ukrainian parliament

    President-elect of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky’s team uploaded a video petition to the administration’s official YouTube channel asking Ukrainians if they approve of the Verkhovna Rada’s work. The presenter noted that currently, Ukrainians have a confidence level of “no more than 4%” in their parliament.

    “Together we are creating a video petition aimed at the president. If this video gains more than one million views, it will catch the president’s attention,” Zelensky’s team said on a Telegram …

  • Hungary: Ukrainian language law is unacceptable

    Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said the language law which was approved on Thursday by the Verkhovna Rada is unacceptable, reported Evropeyska Pravda, citing the online news website, Hirado.

    According to Szijjarto, the Ukrainian language law violates Hungarian minority rights and reflects the vision of President Petro Poroshenko, who, according to the Hungarian minister, promoted anti-Hungarian policies.

    “However, an overwhelming majority of Ukrainian voters chose to elect another …

  • Media: Zelensky intends to replace five government ministers

    The team of Ukraine’s president-elect Vladimir Zelensky intends to carry out a reshuffle in the administration, reported the Ukrainian publication “Apostrophe” citing a source in the Verkhovna Rada.

    According to the source, “Over the past two days, Zelensky’s  representatives have been seeking to replace five ministers: Iryna Friz, Minister of Veterans Affairs; Volodymyr Omelyan, Minister of Infrastructure; Hennadiy Zubko, Minister of Regional Development, Construction and Housing and Public …

  • Ukrainian parliament considers unbundling defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom

    A bill calling for the unbundling of the Ukrainian state-owned defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament.

    Submitted on 24 April, Bill No. 10248 is endorsed by a number of MPs, including Serhiy Pashynskyi, Ivan Vinnyk, Tetiana Chornovol, Vadym Kryvenko, Andriy Levus, Andriy Teterev and Yuriy Bereza.

    The bill proposes several amendments to the law “On the nature of governance of state-owned facilities in the defense industry sector”, …

  • Zelensky administration: dissolution of Ukrainian parliament is possible due to absence of coalition

    The dissolution of the Verkhovna Rada is possible because there is currently no coalition in parliament,said the speaker of the newly elected President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky’s administration, Dmitry Razumkov, on the show “The Voice of the People” on the TV channel 112 Ukraine.

    “The coalition consists of two factions. There are not enough people’s deputies in these factions, that is, there are fewer than 226,” he said.

    According to Razumkov, various organizations appealed to Rada …