Will Dmytruk be deprived of his mandate? Differences in the views of the Servants of the People
27 August 2024 15:31
РОЗБІР ВІД 
MP Artem Dmytruk, who illegally crossed the border of Ukraine on 24 August, may be deprived of his mandate following an investigation. This may happen on the basis of seven points provided for in Article 81 of the Constitution of Ukraine. To learn more about the possibility of such a development,
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, said that the deprivation of MP Artem Dmytruk’s mandate would only take place within the framework of the Constitution. Dmytruk is suspected of assaulting a law enforcement officer and a soldier and illegally left Ukraine.
“MP Artem Dmytruk was not sent on any business trip from the Verkhovna Rada. The man committed this act and I understand that it is far from being legally compliant. The information has already been entered into the Unified State Register of Criminal Proceedings and an investigation is underway,” Stefanchuk said during a panel discussion at the Ukraine 2024. Independence”.
According to him, if there are grounds, the issue of depriving him of his parliamentary mandate will be considered.
He also stressed that all along, the early deprivation of MPs of their mandate in the Rada has been carried out within the seven paragraphs of Article 81 of the Constitution.
There are different opinions in political circles, in particular among representatives of the Servant of the People party, on this issue.
Fedir Venislavskyi, MP from the Servant of the People party, in a commentary
“The early deprivation of MPs of their mandate in the Rada is carried out within the seven paragraphs of Article 81 of the Constitution of Ukraine. Until at least one of the events stipulated by the Constitution of Ukraine on the termination of Dmytruk’s powers occurs, the powers cannot be terminated,” he said.
According to him, the fastest way to lose his mandate is a court verdict of guilty or Dmytruk’s voluntary resignation.
“What is the fastest way? It is when there is a court verdict of guilty or he himself writes a letter of resignation and termination of his parliamentary powers. I don’t see any other way to do this quickly,” the MP added.
Unlike Venislavsky, other party representatives express different opinions. MP from the Servant of the People party, Hennadiy Kasai, in a commentary
“I have not yet discussed this with my colleagues. If he fled in violation of our legislation, we need to draw conclusions and 100% deprive him of his parliamentary title,” the MP said.
Kasai also added that the initiative to consider this issue should come from the Regulatory Committee.
“I cannot say whether the Rada will consider this issue. I think this story should be initiated by the Regulatory Committee, and we will definitely consider it,” the MP said.
Yevheniia Kravchuk, another representative of the Servant of the People party, stressed that the decision would be made only if there are grounds set out in the Constitution of Ukraine. She noted that none of the conditions currently apply to Dmytruk’s case, except for the possibility of his resignation.
“If there are grounds (an exhaustive list is in the Constitution), the Verkhovna Rada will make a decision. So far, none of them fit Dmytruk’s case. Unless he writes a statement,” Kravchuk said in a commentary
[to Kommersant]
According to the comments of the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk, the issue of Dmytruk’s deprivation of his mandate will be considered. However, there is no clear unified position among the representatives of the Servant of the People, which indicates differences in views on the political fate of the fugitive MP.
