Parliament backs at first reading bill of amendments to coalition formation procedure

12:48

The Ukrainian parliament has voted at first reading for a bill of amendments to the coalition formation procedure.

A total of 229 MPs out of the 287 registered in the parliament's session hall voted for the adoption of a bill of amendments to the Verkhovna Rada's regulations on Thursday.

Parliamentarians also supported a proposal to reduce the term of preparing the bill for second reading.

Regions Party MPs Valeriy Bondyk and Volodymyr Demydko on March 3 registered in parliament a bill of amendments to Article 61 of the law on the Verkhovna Rada's regulations (regarding the procedure for forming a coalition of deputy factions).

Clause 1 of the article proposes describing a coalition of deputy factions in parliament as "a union of deputy factions and MPs, which includes the majority of MPs from the constitutional staff of the Verkhovna Rada and which is formed after the [presidential] election and on the basis of agreed political positions, in line with principles foreseen by the Constitution of Ukraine and the [Verkhovna Rada's] regulations."

The parliament's current regulations read that a coalition is a voluntary union of deputy factions formed after the election and on the basis of agreed political positions.