On Oct.20, Ukraine's parliament meeting in emergency session approved benefits for displaced residents of war-torn regions of Ukraine but failed to adopt another much-anticipated law meant to give servicemen involved in war in eastern Ukraine the opportunity to vote.
The law on social, financial and legal guarantees for displaced residents was supported by 249 members of parliament. It introduces procedure of registration and special status for forced migrants as well as state support in getting jobs, pensions and social benefits. The amount of monthly allowance for displaced people is determined by the government and is to be paid during six-month period after the registration, according to the law.
There are 420,000 registered residents who have internally moved and each of them who is able to work will get monthly allowance of Hr 884 ($68) while those not able to work – Hr 442 ($34), making it around Hr 2 billion ($154 million) for half a year, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk mentioned during the session.
The United Nation’s refugee agency welcomed the law and said it stands ready to assist Ukrainian authorities regarding the implementation of the law and providing further support. “Today is a significant milestone in the country’s effort to protect the human rights of all displaced Ukrainians,” said Oldrich Andrysek, United Nations High Commission for Refugees regional representative for Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.
The parliament aslo supported new social program for 2014-2018 aimed to improve the system of voluntary diagnostic of AIDS and therapy for people with AIDS with 248 votes and changes to the law on registration of imported medications aimed to simplify the procedure with 230 votes.
“The law which enables putting our legislation in line with the requirements of the European Union, will allow us to use 509,000 anti tuberculosis vaccines meant for displaced people,” Yatsenyuk said about the changes to the law on registration.
Another law aimed to provide participants of anti-terrorist operation with prosthesis care abroad was supported by 248 votes. Some Hr 7 million ($538,000) meant for prosthesis care and Hr 2 million ($154,000) meant for the service dealing with issues of veterans and participants of anti-terrorist opearion will be allocated from state budget, according to the law.
At the same time, members of parliament failed to adopt the law aimed to provide the opportunity to vote for servicemen involved in war in eastern Ukraine. There were two bills registered in parliament authored by Davyd Zhvania, who is running for re-election on President Petro Poroshenko party list and Leonid Yemets, nominated in single-mandate district in Kyiv from People’s Fornt party of Yatsenyuk.
Zhvania’s bill suggested allowing servicemen take part in the elections in districts where they are not registered as well as vote with military service cards while Yemets’s bill also suggested creating conditions for voting of servicemen in the places where they are currently located. Dozen thousands of votes can be lost if servicemen are not able to vote, Ruslan Koshulysnky, vice-speaker of parliament told journalists in parliament on Oct.20.
President Petro Poroshenko also wasn’t happy with parliament’s decision. “I consider immoral depriving servicemen who are in the zone of anti-terrorist operation the right to vote,” Poroshenko told journalists during his visit to Cherkasy Oblast, Ukrainian news reported.
Kyiv Post staff writer Anastasia Forina can be reached at [email protected]
