Dismissal of five MPs

Dismissal of five MPs

Parliamentary resolutions #8344, #8349, #8350, #8351, and #8352

Status: adopted

Who is affected: the Verkhovna Rada, the Cabinet of Ministers, the President, ministries, local governments, voters, citizens, and businesses

What changes: five MPs lost their seats:

• Andrii Aksonov (voluntarily resigned)
• Andrii Derkach, Taras Kozak, Renat Kuzmin, Viktor Medvedchuk (as a result of the termination of their citizenship)

What is right: MPs suspected of having ties with the aggressor state and committing serious crimes lost their seats and will have less influence and no access to state secrets.

What is wrong: irreversible decrease in the number of MPs. MPs elected in single-seat districts and MPs from the banned Opposition Platform — For Life party lost their mandates and will not be replaced at least while martial law is in force. Currently, only 411 out of 450 MPs are working in the Verkhovna Rada. This can significantly affect the work of the Parliament, in particular, decrease decision-making capabilities and the effectiveness of committees.

Alternative solution: after martial law ends, it is worth reviewing the approach to lawmaking. An alternative to the approach that decisions are made by the majority of the constitutional composition of the Parliament (226 MPs) can be an approach that decisions are made by the majority of those MPs present at the session. This will protect the Parliament from a stalemate in a situation when the number of MPs is significantly reduced as well as motivate MPs to attend the sessions of the Verkhovna Rada more often.

Additional information: it is not a sustainable policy to just dismiss MPs suspected of serious crimes and cooperation with the aggressor. The crimes in question should be properly investigated and taken to court.

Voted in favor: all factions and groups.