TV program Dear Deputies is a joint project of the OPORA, Hromadske TV, and the First National TV Channel, the First National TV channel and USAID's project the RADA. This weekly program provides the audience information about activities and inaction of MPs, their salaries, offices, internal matters, soviet spirit of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and international experience of parliamentarism. This program is goaled to explain complicated things in a comprehensible way and make people smile if there is a reason.
The eleventh series of the program that was broadcasted on 30 March covered:
- In rubric "Committees": what happens on meetings of the Committee on Rules of Parliamentary Procedure?
This Committee is authorized to secure oversight of adherence to all procedures including election of Committee heads. However, this Committee still doesn't have a head. First Deputy Head Pavlo Pynzenyk from the People's Front implements duties of the head. However, Mr. Pynzenyk will have to pass tests for identifying a conflict of interest: The Committee is going to consider the withdrawal of Mykola Martynenko (People's Front), Head of the Committee on Fuel and Energy Complex, Nuclear Policy and Nuclear Safety, as long as a criminal case was initiated against him in Switzerland. However, Mr. Pynzenyk wasan assistant of Mykola Martynenko for a long time. Thus, a conflict of interests occurs. Deputy Head of the Committee on Rules of Parliamentary Procedure was actively trying to repeal the bill on joint-stock companies. See more in the reporting.
- The rubric "How do they do?" will tell about a state-owned Theatre NO99, which has created an own party and made all the politicians in Estonia get nervous.
It was an outstanding performance which turned out to be a social experiment, called to draw public attention to a problem of populism in politics. Estonian Theater NO99 has successfully carried out a bold project which made all ruling parties nervous – own political project on the eve of election campaign. A resonant resignation of the Minister of Justice, a corruption scandal in one of the largest parties occured as a result of this project. Besides that, a documentary "Ash&Money" was filmed, and presented in Kyiv by Tiit Ojasoo, the film’s director, lead protagonist and director of Theatre No99.
- The rubric "Parliamentary mathematics" will tell about campaign funds of parties and campaign expenditures during 2014 parliamentary elections.
According to the report of the Civil Network OPORA, the total expenditure for parliamentary elections was constantly increasing despite the established campaign expense limits: 2002 – UAH 32.2 mln, 2006 – UAH 552.1 mln (17 times more), 2007 – UAH 579.2 mln (+5% of the previous campaign), 2012 – UAH 601.3 mln (+4%), 2014 – UAH 674.5 mln (+12%). The following parties had the largest campaign funds for early parliamentary elections: Batkivshchyna (UAH 109.5 mln), Opposition Block (UAH 106.4 mln), Petro Poroshenko Block (UAH 97.4 mln), and People's Front (UAH 93.6 mln). The expenses on the media (air time on TV and radio, materials in printed media) took over 90% of all funds the parties spent on campaigning. Opposition Block and AUU Batkivshchyna had the largest expenses – over UAH 100 mln and around UAH 99 mln respectively. Expenses on other types of campaigning (outdoor advertising, printed campaign materials) are exceedingly smaller.
Besides that, Italian politologist Dr. Daniela Piccio gave an exclusive comment about the state financing of political parties in Europe, political advertising in Italy, and possibility of applying European experience in Ukraine.
- Finally, about parliamentary shopping: what one can buy in the house of committees of the Verkhovna Rada?
From a toothbrush to the Scythian pectoral – an MP can buy all the necessary inside the Parliament. Did you know that there are some small shops selling a wide range of goods in the Parliament? However, the range of products is directed for specific consumers: money tree, and real uncut sheet of Ukrainian hryvnias from the NBU Mint are sold as souvenirs here.
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The Civil Network OPORA - is non-governmental, non-political and financially independent all-Ukrainian network of activists. We united to enhance public participation in the political process by developing and implementing models of citizen participation in the activities of state and local governments.