The First Vice Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kornienko, expressed his opinion on the possibility of mobilizing people's deputies in connection with the growing tension in eastern Ukraine. According to the new high-profile draft law on mobilization, according to the Vice Speaker, deputies will continue to be exempt from conscription.
When asked whether the mobilization of deputies could help relieve social tension, Kornienko responded jokingly, saying: “Yes, Kim (the head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration) said yesterday – what good does it do us?”
The Vice Speaker considers the issue of mobilizing deputies through two prisms: legislative-constitutional and moral-ethical. The legislative-constitutional one leads to the conclusion that the absence of deputies in parliament can make it impossible to adopt important laws and the budget. The moral-ethical one concerns demonstrating the responsibility of deputies and their entourage.
Kornienko expressed the view that the mobilization of deputies could interfere with the functioning of the state, but at the same time called on the people's deputies to master basic military skills, because "the problems with the northern neighbor may end much later" than the term of the current Rada.
Finally, the Vice Speaker expressed confidence that rumors about the possible mobilization of deputies may be the result of Russian propaganda, since it is beneficial for Russia for the Ukrainian parliament not to function.
