In an exclusive interview with Kyiv Post, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (VR), Oleksandr Kornienko, explained how parliament works during martial law; why a member of parliament (MP) from the former pro-Russian faction “Opposition Platform – For Life” (OPZZh) still chairs one of the committees of the VR; accountability of MPs who have gone abroad; and whether Ukraine is going to succeed in building partnerships with African and Asian countries.
What is the role of the Ukrainian parliament during the war?
Parliament has always had, and will always have, an important representative function. It is a body that represents the interests of various layers of society. According to legislation, parliament imposes martial law by approving the decree of the president.
When the war broke out, we faced an important challenge related to the adaptation of current legislation to martial law conditions. The Law of Ukraine “On the legal status of martial law” is antiquated and short; hence, we had to figure out how to combine it with other elements of modern-day life, such as decentralization. We worked hard on that.
In addition, we also have other tasks – mostly budget-related – as the war is an expensive endeavor. In 2021, parliament reviewed the state budget several times. Apart from that, we also have European integration-related tasks that need to be completed to confirm our candidate status. We are working on this and concurrently adopting the new laws.
Incidentally, we...
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