Majority faction to discuss new Rada speaker

The Servants of the People parliamentary faction will
meet to discuss the replacement for outgoing Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada
Dmytro Razumkov, President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on Oct 3. While
not directly stating that Vice Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk would replace
Razumkov, he did say that if Stefanchuk collected 70 votes among the faction
members, the rest would support it, Interfax-Ukraine reported.

The comments come after it was announced at the party
convention in Truskavets that MPs had collected the 150 signatures necessary to
dismiss Razumkov. Zelenskty told reporters on Oct. 2 that while Razumkov is
entitled to his own opinion, members of the party have a “menu”, which is a set
of responsibilities. “That’s why it’s very simple. If we fight the oligarchs,
sign the law.”

James Hydzik: The law
Zelensky pointed to was the anti-oligarch bill that the Verkhovna Rada rammed
through despite Razumkov’s protests that the proposed legislation was missing
required ingredients. Half-baked legislation makes for a poor menu, and
Razumkov made it clear that he found the anti-oligarch law under done.

The move to oust Razumkov cannot be seen through
the lens of political amateurs unaware of the need to create legislation at a
certain standard. The poor quality of the bill will no doubt be commented upon
by the Venice Commission, and cause some embarrassment within the government.
However, embarrassment is a temporary inconvenience compared to having a speaker
who does not voice dissent, even about matters of form.