The Ukrainian parliament, blocked by the opposition, will return to work on November 19th.
The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, called on lawmakers to return to constructive work after the opposition blocked the rostrum during the session on November 18th. He emphasized the importance of fulfilling constitutional duties in a critical time for the country.
The incident with the blocking occurred in the context of considering the dismissal of ministers Svitlana Hrynchuk from the Ministry of Economy and Herman Halushchenko from the Ministry of Justice, which the opposition thwarted by blocking the rostrum. Stefanchuk emphasized that the dismissal of individual ministers and the resignation of the government are different processes that require clear separation.
The Speaker accused lawmakers from “European Solidarity” of disrupting discussions on important issues, seeing it as promoting political ambitions, which, according to him, could endanger the state. Earlier, on November 12th, both ministers had submitted resignation letters after President Zelensky supported their dismissal due to an NABU investigation into a corruption scheme in the energy sector.
A few days later, the president issued a decree removing Hrynchuk and Halushchenko from the NSDC, and the vote in the Rada, intended to officially confirm their dismissal, was scheduled for November 18th.
| Date | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
| November 12th | President Zelensky’s speech | Support for the dismissal of Hrynchuk and Halushchenko |
| November 14th | Presidential decree | Removal of ministers from the NSDC |
| November 18th | Session of the Verkhovna Rada | Opposition blocking the rostrum |
| November 19th | Call for a return to work | Restoration of constitutional duties |
