Draft bill #13064 of March 7, 2025
Cosponsors: 14 MPs from the factions European Solidarity, Servant of the People, Batkivshchyna, and Holos, and independent MPs with Iryna Friz as the first signatory
Status: sent for review to the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Parliamentary Ethics, and Administration of the Work of the Verkhovna Rada
Who is affected: the Verkhovna Rada
Summary:
- the Parliament will be able to make decisions only when a minimum required number of MPs, as defined by the Constitution of Ukraine, are present in the session hall:
-
- to pass a law, at least 226 votes are needed (at least half +1 of the Verkhovna Rada’s composition defined by the Constitution — 450 MPs)
-
- for amendments to the Constitution — 300 votes (constitutional majority)
- if there are not enough MPs in the session hall, it will be impossible to adopt any decisions, even if some of the MPs vote “in favor.”
What is right: the bill will help avoid situations when laws are passed with minimal attendance of MPs, which can lead to violations of the rules of procedure and abuses.
Background information: the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, in its decision of October 17, 2002, established that the Verkhovna Rada is competent to adopt laws and exercise other constitutionally defined powers only if a number of MPs present at its plenary sessions at the time of voting is at least that required by the Constitution for the adoption of the relevant decision.