An elected member of parliament has declined his seat in the Rada
The Central Election Commission recognized Denys Pyatigorez as the elected People’s Deputy of Ukraine from the “European Solidarity” party; however, he unexpectedly announced that he was declining the seat. The politician explained his decision by stating that, under the current circumstances, he could be more useful outside of parliament and would continue to support the army in other ways.
Following the CEC’s official decision on his election to the Verkhovna Rada, Denys Pyatigorez addressed his followers with a lengthy video message, in which he honestly and emotionally explained why he would not take up the position of People’s Deputy, even though he had previously considered this status the pinnacle of his political career, toward which he had been working for decades.
He explained that he has been involved in politics and civic activism since the late 1990s, rising from an activist and election observer to a deputy’s assistant and deputy head of the regional administration; he organized election campaigns and worked with both politicians and the business community. However, after 2019, he consciously stepped away from high-level politics. “It was my dream to become a member of parliament. I’ve always dreamed of this; it’s the pinnacle of what you can achieve when you’re involved in politics,” he admitted, adding that he used to have a good grasp of political processes but now feels detached from them and no longer navigates the current political reality.
According to him, the war has completely shifted his priorities, and he now considers it more important to work in the fields of volunteering and business, where he can more effectively assist the Armed Forces of Ukraine than in the role of a lawmaker, which, in his view, restricts freedom of action due to regulatory and anti-corruption mechanisms. “We have raised nearly a million dollars to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And I am convinced that I can do more here than in parliament,” Pyatigorez noted, emphasizing that his final decision has already been made.
He added that he is formally renouncing his mandate only now because, legally, this can only be done after being officially recognized as an elected MP, and he plans to submit an application to the Central Election Commission in the near future.
At the end of his statement, he thanked his colleagues and followers, wished the future deputies success, and emphasized that he would continue working for Ukraine’s victory in the format he considers most effective: “And today, times are such that you are either in the army or working for the army.”
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