The failing results of the voting in the Parliament regarding three bils about elections of people’s deputies bring up to date the need to initiate proper inclusive dialogue among all concerned parties. The imitation of the discussion in the Parliament can’t lead to any proper decision, and regarding the introduction of proportional system with open lists on the electionof people’s deputies of Ukraine as well. Surveys made in different years and public opinion support system changes in election processes, international and expert communities support mainly the introduction of the proportional system with open lists, political players spoke a lot of times about priority of this point personally for them and for the political parties they represent. The bill 1068-2 had the features of potentially consensual one from the point of view of electoral system as well as support in majority of parliamentary parts and groups. Meanwhile the negative voting is a clear indicator of transparency and preparation of political players for hard discussion with the goal to find the decision, not just an insensible process.
The public network OPORA claims about the need of political consensus regarding certain configuration of proportional system with regional open lists that will be reached during public and informal discussion involving all groups of political players and experts. The administration of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and of political groups must hold the responsibility for activity of the high-quality platform for creation of the policy of electoral reform. Qualitative procedures and the new electoral system should be vital for both the thinking groups in the government and in the opposition. The balance of influence, clear procedures, the protection of the electoral rights of Ukrainian citizens, the inevitability of punishment for committing crimes during election campaigns is a sign of the maturity of political elites, and the final beneficiary of reforms will be both voters and political players.
One of the important stages in the reform of electoral legislation and institutions is the re-election of 13 out of 15 members of the CEC. The prolongation or the freezing of the situation creates an atmosphere of mistrust around the commission, the pro-government coalition, the President personally and their goodwill until the elections in 2019 in the spirit of democracy and the rule of law. There should be a comprehensive consensus concerning the members of the CEC, taking into account the proposals of all parts and groups.
However, during the approval of the bills of Election Codes (3112, 3112-1), there should be taken into account the lessons regarding an ineffective preparation of the plenary and the deputies for making a decision. So, before the voting it is important to hold informative presentations and professional discussions in each parliamentary part and group involving independent experts, and the projects should be considered in full procedure and in accordance with the rules.
We remind that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Thursday, October 19, failed voting for three bills on elections of people's deputies. During the first reading were considered bills Nos. 1068, 1068-1, 1068-2.
Presenting Bill No. 1068, the author of the initiative Yuri Miroshnichenko ("Opposition Bloc") positioned his legislative initiative as envisaging the introduction of the proportional electoral system with voting for open lists in regional constituencies. Although the bill envisages holding elections of people's deputies of Ukraine on the basis of the proportional electoral system with voting for closed lists from political parties and blocs.
The bill was supported only by 41 deputies, in particular the part of the radical party of Oleg Lyashko and the inter-factional group "Party “Vidrodzhennya" did not give any votes for this document.
The bill No. 1088-1 was supported by 91 deputies, the group "Party “Vidrodzhennya" did not give any vote.
The bill No. 1068-2 received the greatest support among the deputies, but did not gain enough votes for its approval - only 169 votes. The inter-factional group "Party “Vidrodzhennya" did not give any voice again. The Parliament Speaker Andriy Parubi encouraged to vote to send it to the committee or to the authors of the legislative initiative for further work, but there was no support from people's deputies.
Speaking to parliament that the first stage of the electoral reform took place, Speaker Andriy Parubiy closed the meeting. Parubi also announced the consideration of the bills of Election Codes for the next plenary week.
Despite the fact that the parliamentary political forces, the President and the Government have regularly emphasized the need to implement the proportional system with open lists, these initiatives have not been implemented.
Note:
The bill No. 1068, submitted by People's Deputy Yuri Miroshnichenko on November 27, 2014, provides for the holding of elections of people's deputies of Ukraine on the basis of the proportional electoral system with voting for closed lists from political parties and blocs. The right to participate in the distribution of deputy mandates will be presented only to those parties and blocs whose election lists were submitted at least by 1% of the votes of voters who took part in the voting.
The bill №1068-1, registered by Yulia Tymoshenko, Sergei Sobolev and other deputies from the Batkivshchyna Party on December 2, 2014, provides for holding elections on a proportional electoral system with voting in a single nationwide multi-mandate constituency, which will include 450 territorial election districts and a foreign electoral constituency.
Bill No. 1088-2, submitted by the People's Deputies Viktor Chumak, Leonid Yemts and other deputies on December 11, 2014, provides for the transition to the election of people's deputies on a proportional electoral system with open lists. It provides that the voter will be able to vote not only for the regional list of candidates, but for the individual candidate on the list.