Ukraine's eighth parliament started work on Nov. 27. A total of 419 new lawmakers were sworn in, including former pilot Nadiya Savchenko, who remains imprisoned in Russia on what her supporters say are trumped-up murder chargers. Savchenko was elected to parliament on the party list of ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's Batkivshchyna. She signed her oath and passed it to Ukraine through her lawyer.
Oleksandr Turchynov, the speaker of the previous Verkhovna Rada who conducted the first session, said this was “the only way” to swear her in along with the rest of the deputies.
27 seats remain vacant in the 450-seat session hall. The annexation of Crimea and Russia’s war against eastern Ukraine prevented deputies from being elected in those parts of the country that are no longer controlled by the authorities.
The early elections took place on Oct. 26 based on a mixed system. Half of the seats were filled through the proportional vote for parties competing in the election, and the rest through single-mandate constituencies.
The newly-elected parliament has a clear pro-European majority for the first time since Ukraine’s independence. This is also the first parliament without the Communist Party.
The parliament session opened with the national anthem, followed by the greeting “Glory to Ukraine! Glory to heroes!” This used to be the traditional greeting of the nationalistic Ukrainian Insurgent Army, known by its UPA Ukrainian acronym, which fought for Ukraine’s independence during World War II and then underground until the 1950s.
The greeting became popular during the EuroMaidan Revolution, which ousted former President Viktor Yanukovych on Feb. 22 and led to early presidential and parliamentary elections this year.
The deputies also held a moment of silence in honor of thousands of Ukrainians who have been killed either in the revolution or the ongoing war with Russia-sponsored insurgents.
Five parties have declared their intention to enter a coalition, which will then be responsible for appointing the prime minister, followed by the government.
Yuriy Lustenko, leader of Petro Poroshenko’s Bloc, told Interfax-Ukraine news agency that the prime minister and speaker of the new Rada will be appointed today, but not the government.
“Today, we will create a coalition, and today we will elect the leader of the Verkhovna Rada, and today we will elect the prime minister, and by the next session day on Tuesday, we will have the full composition of the government,” Lutsenko said.
