Zelenskyy: Parliament expects to unblock bill on multiple citizenship and other decisions
Next week, the Verkhovna Rada is expected to unblock the draft law on multiple citizenship, adopt decisions on withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines and the creation of a Special Tribunal for the Russian leadership, as well as the second reading of the document on the military ombudsman. This was announced in an evening address by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after talking to Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk.
"It is very important that the [Rada] meetings are effective. The law on multiple citizenship has already been adopted, and this is an important issue, in particular, for those who are fighting for Ukraine. I am looking forward to unblocking this law so that I can sign it immediately," the head of state said.
To unblock this draft law, three resolutions submitted by the group of former Speaker of the Parliament Dmytro Razumkov must be rejected. The MPs motivated the blocking by the fact that the adoption of the draft law was in violation of the rules of procedure: it and the accompanying documents were submitted five, not 10 days before the vote, and the MPs did not have the opportunity to properly study and prepare for the consideration of the text, which "could have resulted in the failure to take into account a number of amendments to this draft law.".
Zelenskyy also said that two decisions on international agreements are already ready: the parliament needs to ratify the agreement on the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Russian Aggression, and MPs need to support Ukraine's withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines.
"Russia has never been a party to this convention and is very active in using all types of mines. And we in Ukraine need parity in protection – in particular, the political and legal basis for such parity. In fact, the entire region of Central and Eastern Europe, all those who are close to Russia, are reconsidering their attitude to mines. And this is absolutely understandable," the president explained .
In addition, he noted, a draft law on the military ombudsman has been prepared for the second reading : "This new systemic step is needed to ensure that the necessary changes are implemented in the army.".
- In a commentary to LIGA.net, a Juscutum lawyer said that the draft law on multiple citizenship does not take into account a number of potential threats: in particular, the provision on the loss of citizenship for voluntary acquisition of Russian citizenship does not take into account cases of forced "passportization".