Draft bill #9518 of July 24, 2023 

Cosponsors: a group of 32 MPs from the Servant of the People and Holos factions, groups For the Future and Trust 

Status: submitted to the Verkhovna Rada 

Who is affected: residents of Ukraine, community heads, local councils, oblast military administrations, and city military administrations 

Summary of the bill: 

  • a community head will be allowed to unilaterally appoint starostas in the following cases: 
    • the local council thrice failed to appoint candidates for this position, provided that such candidates were supported during public discussions 
    • it is impossible to appoint starostas under the regular procedure due to the early dismissal of local councilors 
    • the local council did not hold plenary sessions for six consecutive months without legitimate reasons 
  • a starosta, appointed unilaterally by the community head, will serve a six-month term unless the local council endorses the appointment. However, if the entire local council is dismissed, the term of the appointed starosta will align with that of the community head 
  • under martial law, a starosta will be allowed to give their report via video conference 
  • heads of regional military administrations will be allowed to dismiss starostas in the following cases: 
    • the starosta district is under temporary occupation 
    • the starosta district is encircled by the enemy 
    • the territory of the starosta district is transferred under the authority of a military administration 
    • village, township, and city heads will be allowed to appoint an acting starosta if the starosta is drafted 
  • heads of military administrations will be allowed to establish starosta districts and appoint starostas without public discussions. 

What is right: 

  • the bill will make it possible for starostas to work under martial law, in particular, in the communities close to the frontline or otherwise threatened by the enemy 
  • the bill solves the problem when it is impossible to appoint starostas in communities where local councils do not function properly. 

What is wrong: the failure of the local council to appoint a starosta after three attempts cannot be the reason to allow the community head to appoint the starosta unilaterally. The local council has the authority to reject candidates, and such a rejection can have legitimate reasons. For example, all three candidates can be unscrupulous.