Ukraine's lawmakers held 33 sessions and passed 82 laws during first 100 days of work, parliament's speaker Volodymyr Groysman said on March 10 in a summarizing press conference. Their predecessors elected in 2012 had 13 sessions and adopted 12 laws over the same period of time, according to him.
Groysman, in particular, praised parliament’s coalition majority for pushing through the laws to create National Anti-Corruption Bureau, cancell non-aligned status, increase the army and introduce austerity measures required by international lenders but said that the parliament itself has to be reformed.
“We realize together with colleagues that we have a lot of challenges ahead and we don’t have much time,” Groysman said. “We need to reform the parliament also because when we are talking about new challenges and offbeat modern European solutions we have to understand that the parliament has to be European and we have to improve the quality of the legislative process.”
There is a draft plan for the regulatory maintenance of reforms which consists of more than 300 legislative initiatives for the lawmakers to follow, including changes to the Constitution that will allow for more powers of local authorities, according to him. “It is a plan of our work which we have to build in a way that each faction, each member of parliament understands what we are doing during current plenary week and what we are going to do in a week,” he said. “If that work is not systematized, we won’t be able to introduce changes and reforms.”
Groysman also expressed hopes that a new electoral system with open party lists will be introduced. He, however, said that so far the plan is to implement the new system for local elections scheduled for October and corresponding bill will be considered by parliament in April. “There is a point of view, among experts as well, and I think it’s sound as it suggests to test new system during local elections and then implement same one during parliament’s elections.”
He also assured that the parliament will consider the draft law to cancel the immunity of lawmakers in September after they amend the Constitution and the Venice Commission and Constitutional Court revise the draft law. “The immunity causes irresponsibility and impunity which cause organized crime. Maybe for corrupt lawmakers we will do something good as the absense of immunity will prevent them from crimes.”
Kyiv Post staff writer Anastasia Forina can be reached at [email protected]
