The Deputy Speaker of the Czech Parliament Wants to Visit Ukraine Despite a Ban by Her Leadership
Barbora Urbanová, Deputy Speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies, was denied permission for an official visit to Ukraine. Despite this, she plans to visit the country as a representative of her party, STAN, which is currently in the opposition.
As a representative elected by the citizens of the Czech Republic, she strongly condemned the efforts and actions of lawmakers from the ruling coalition, led by Chamber of Deputies Speaker Tomi Okamura, who are “interfering with the exercise of the parliamentary mandate, thereby undermining professionalism and ethics.”
Urbanová noted that, based on a personal official invitation from the Ukrainian side, she had duly submitted a request for a trip abroad on behalf of the parliament. The matter was considered by the Committee on Organizational Issues; however, instead of following the standard, factual, and professional procedure, the leadership asked the Vice Speaker to withdraw her request.
“After lengthy debates, the Organizational Committee ultimately rejected my request. They justified their decision by stating that foreign policy and relations with Ukraine are shaped solely by Andrej Babiš’s government,” said Urbanová.
Among the reasons for the rejection was that the politician intended to speak in support of Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
“I consider this procedure completely unacceptable,” the Deputy Speaker emphasized, calling it a disregard for the mandate and the principle of pluralism in parliamentary democracy.
Furthermore, in her view, this sets a dangerous precedent: requiring members of parliament to withdraw a legitimate request for a trip for which they received an official international invitation grossly violates the dignity and culture of parliamentary work in the Czech Republic.
Urbanova stated that she refuses to accept politically motivated bans and behind-the-scenes pressure.
“I respect the parliamentary organizing committee’s final decision to deny my trip to Ukraine. However, the leadership of the Chamber of Deputies must realize that it is one thing to try to block my trip, and another to consider how I will respond to this interference by the authorities. I prioritize the interests of citizens in fulfilling my mandate, not the directives of the current parliamentary leadership. I will go to Ukraine anyway,” Urbanova stated.
She intends to visit Kyiv in September at the invitation of Verkhovna Rada Deputy Speaker Olena Kondratyuk.
Urbanova confirmed this to a Ukrinform correspondent.
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