The Maidan Alliance, an association of individuals and civic organizations created in 2005, have produced a six-minute video clip that takes aim at the propensity of national lawmakers to vote for each other in parliament. The so-called “piano-player” voting – in which members vote for others who are absent -- is a clear violation of the constitution, but law enforcement has done nothing to stop the practice.
The video, which can be seen on YouTube, is called “Ukraine: A banana republic forever?” It is produced by a team led by project manager Natalka Zubar of Kharkiv.
The clip shows many examples of the abuses and interviews lawmakers, including parliamentarian Vladimir Aryev, whose vote was cast by someone else while he was on a business trip to America with his voting key card in possession. It also claims that some Party of Regions lawmakers, including billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, rarely attend parliament but frequently have their votes recorded.
In February, while on a business trip to America, someone cast a vote instead of him in parliament.
Read more about the organization at http://world.maidan.org.ua and view their movies at http://world.maidan.org.ua
