Lawmakers were outraged by the sudden cancellation of the parliamentary session
The Verkhovna Rada session scheduled for September 18 has been postponed to the next plenary week. Some lawmakers said they only found out about this after arriving at the parliament, specifically from security personnel. Parliament officials explained that the decision was made during the morning coordination meeting.
The session scheduled for September 18 did not take place in the Verkhovna Rada. It was postponed to the next plenary week. This was reported by “European Solidarity” MPs Volodymyr Viatrovych, Iryna Herashchenko, and Viktoria Syumar, as well as “Holos” MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak. Their statements were also confirmed by sources speaking to “Ukrainska Pravda” in parliament. According to the lawmakers, some members of parliament learned about the cancellation of the session only after they had arrived at the Rada.
Yaroslav Zheleznyak said that “Question Time with the Government” was scheduled for that day. However, in the morning, lawmakers were told that the session would not take place due to “important international events.” “Question Time with the Government was canceled today in the Rada) And there will be no session. ‘Important international events,’” Zheleznyak wrote.
The lawmaker also reacted ironically to the situation, suggesting that some parliamentarians might have gone to the Carpathian Forum. “Great planning—the lawmakers were only told this morning.) That’s all you need to know about respect for the Rada and the lawmakers’ respect for themselves,” he noted.
Lawmakers Learned of the Cancellation from Security
Volodymyr Viatrovych stated that he learned about the closure of parliament immediately before the session. “I found out just now before the session from a security guard,” the MP wrote.
According to him, lawmakers were allegedly not warned in advance about the change in plans. “No explanations or warnings in advance. Will they announce that democracy is over in the same way?” Viatrovych said.
Iryna Gerashchenko also criticized the situation. She noted that she could not recall a similar incident during her time in parliament. “Today is a plenary week, with Question Time for the government—a session we worked so hard to reinstate after a two-year hiatus. The new Minister of Education was supposed to report today, and there are a lot of questions for him,” Gerashchenko wrote.
According to her, the lawmakers arrived at parliament but found out upon arrival that the building was closed. “The lawmakers came to the Verkhovna Rada and, as they say, were turned away at the door. A security guard informed them that parliament was closed,” she stated. Gerashchenko also claims that lawmakers and faction leaders were allegedly not notified of the decision in advance.
What the Verkhovna Rada Is Saying
A source in the Verkhovna Rada provided “Ukrainska Pravda” with another detail regarding the decision. According to the publication’s source, the decision to postpone “Question Time with the Government” to the next plenary week was made during a conciliation council meeting on the morning of September 18. The coordination council meeting was chaired by First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Korniyenko.
At the same time, the source from “Ukrainska Pravda” could not confirm whether all faction leaders had been properly notified of the coordination council meeting. It is also unknown whether all of them were present during the discussion. The Verkhovna Rada’s official website currently does not list a plenary session for September 18. However, September 18 is included in the Rada’s plenary week schedule, which runs from September 14 to 20.
Even some ministers attended the session
Yaroslav Zheleznyak later reported that not all government representatives were aware of the session’s rescheduling. According to him, some ministers still came to parliament for the scheduled “question time with the government.” “Just for the record: it was organized so ‘great’ that even some ministers came for Question Time with the Government… which the Government canceled),” the lawmaker wrote.
Separately, Gerashchenko noted that “Question Time with the Government” was an important part of the parliament’s work. In particular, this time the lawmakers had planned to ask questions of the new Minister of Education. So far, it has not been publicly disclosed exactly which “important international events” led to the postponement of the session. Representatives of the Rada confirmed, however, that the decision to postpone was made during the morning coordination meeting. This was reported by “European Solidarity” MPs Volodymyr Viatrovych, Iryna Gerashchenko, and Viktoria Syumar, as well as “Voice” MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
