The Ukrainian Parliament today created three new investigative commissions. A total of 238 MPs voted in favor of creating an investigative commission to probe the customs registration of gas belonging to RosUkrEnergo. MP Roman Zvarych will head the commission and Party of Regions MP Anatoliy Kinakh will be the commission’s deputy head.

MPs of the opposition Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc are blocking the parliamentary rostrum this morning. A poster draped across the parliamentary speaker’s table reads “Makarenko protected Ukraine”.

The Ukrainian Parliament today adopted a bill (No.6400) on the Urban Planning Code in the first reading. The code sets out the principles of urban planning, determines the regional and local site development rules, the order of location of construction facilities, and submission of primary data for the design of facilities.

The Ukrainian Parliament today extended the term of office of the Ukrainian Parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights from five to seven years.

The Ukrainian Parliament today elected its four candidates of the National Council for TV and Radio Broadcasting. Parliament elected Yevhen Baranov (249 votes), Oksana Yelmanova (250 votes), Iryna Opilat (249 votes) and Mykola Fartushniy (362 votes). The Party of Regions submitted the candidacies of Baranov and Fartushniy, while Yelmanov’s came from the Communist Party and the Lytvyn Bloc put forward Iryna Opilat. These three political forces are part of the ruling parliamentary coalition.

The Ukrainian Parliament today rejected all of the bills amending Ukrainian legislation on elections to local councils, as well as the election of deputies of the Crimean Supreme Council, and the heads of villages, towns and cities.

Arnold Radovets, an MP of the opposition Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, has joined the ruling parliamentary coalition, speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn announced today.