Ukraine parliament rejects enhanced authority for Turchynov

Ukraine’s parliament rejected legislation on Dec. 23 that would have enhanced the authority of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) under its new secretary, Oleksandr Turchynov. Among its new authority would have been control over the nation’s new anti-corruption bodies the ability to get its decisions backed by presidential decrees and mandatory fulfillment by all executive branch bodies.

The legislation earned only 223 out of 226 needed votes and only two out of six factions voted in favor: the Petro Poroshenko Bloc, though not in full, and Turchynov’s own party, the People’s Front. It will be reviewed before a vote on its second reading. Before becoming appointed NSDC secretary last week, Turchynov led the People’s Front faction in the Rada (parliament). This year, he served as Rada speaker between Feb. 22 and Nov. 27 and Ukraine’s acting president between Feb. 22 and June 7.

Zenon Zawada: The voting on the NSDC measure revealed a significant rift within the parliamentary coalition, consisting of five factions, casting doubt on its legitimacy. The basis for doubt grew firmer after these same three dissenting factions actively criticized the 2015 budget draft presented later in the same session. These events confirm our view that the president and prime minister will need to cobble together majorities for future legislative initiatives.

We understand the need to better coordinate Ukraine’s defense apparatus under the NSDC amid the ongoing war. Yet we also share the concerns of the measure’s critics, who believe it’s an attempt to consolidate power beyond the bounds of the Constitution and potentially stifle dissent domestically. The attempts to bring the yet-to-be created anti-corruption bodies under its control reek of corruption. We expect a compromise to be reached.