Ukraine parliament approves impeachment legislation

Ukraine’s parliament approved on Sept. 10 two readings
of legislation submitted by President Zelensky to establish an impeachment
procedure. The measure drew 337 votes in the first reading, losing support in
the second reading after Parliamentary Speaker Dmytro Razumkov ignored requests
to review the bill, submit amendments and hold the vote at the next session.
The second reading drew 245 votes in total, drawing opposition from a diverse
coalition consisting of the pro-Putin Opposition Platform For Life party, the
European Solidarity party and the neoliberal Voice party. “You very grossly
violated the rules,” said Iryna Herashchenko, an MP who served as the previous
first deputy speaker. “You simply are demeaning the very role of parliament.
You have crossed out the right of every MP to submit amendments. If you will
continue to vote this way today, then parliament simply doesn’t exist.”

Other critics of the legislation, such as MP Serhiy
Rakhmanin of the Voice faction, have argued a constitutional amendment is needed
for the procedure to be serious. The legislation calls for impeachment of the
president “exclusively in the event of him committing state treason or another
crime.” The basis for initiating impeachment is a written appeal signed by a
majority of MPs, including the legal justification for creating a special
temporary investigative committee, the pravda.com.ua news site reported. After
the president is accused, the Constitutional and Supreme Courts must confirm
the constitutionality of the impeachment attempt and availability of evidence
of a crime. An impeachment vote requires the support of three-quarters of MPs.
The impeachment process is halted both in the legislature and in the courts
should the president voluntarily resign.