| Opposition YTB walks out of Parliament in protest against consideration of local elections bill |
 |
 |
 |
| Saturday, 10 July 2010 18:57 |
|
The faction of the opposition Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc walked out of the parliamentary session hall this afternoon in protest against consideration of a bill on local elections without its proposals being taking into account.
YTB faction leader Ivan Kyrylenko said earlier that the faction would leave the session hall if the document were considered. "We are against this law ideologically and conceptually. The law is not progressive ... We support a proportional system with open lists," Kyrylenko said. "The bill throws us back. We cannot participate in the consideration of this issue and this bill that does not take into account any amendments put forward by the opposition," he added. YTB MPs then left the session hall. The Ukrainian Parliament adopted the bill (No 6601) in its first reading on the electoral system to be used at local elections in Ukraine on July 1. The bill was tabled by the pro-presidential Party of Regions faction. It proposes a mixed system of proportional voting and first-past-the-post voting and prohibits political parties from taking part in local elections. The election of deputies in local councils as well as mayoral elections in towns, cities and villages is scheduled for October 31 2010. |
