A minute of silence will become law: the Parliament has launched the adoption
16 December 14:41
In the first reading, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported a bill that would enshrine a nationwide minute of silence in law. 303 MPs voted in favor of the document, which allowed it to be submitted for preparation for the second reading, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
What does the bill propose?
The document stipulates that a daily minute of silence will be held at 09:00 throughout Ukraine. The law also gives communities the right to use public address systems to ensure the simultaneity and nationwide nature of the commemoration.
The purpose of the legislative initiative is to honor the memory of those who died as a result of Russia’s war against Ukraine and to provide a clear legal basis for this practice.
What is in effect now
Currently, a minute of silence is held daily in accordance with a decree signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on March 16, 2022, shortly after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The draft law effectively elevates this practice from the level of a presidential decree to the level of a law.
If finally adopted, the minute of silence will become a mandatory national norm
The support of the draft law by the constitutional majority in the first reading indicates a broad political consensus on symbolic practices of remembrance during the war. If finally adopted, the minute of silence will become a mandatory national norm, not just a recommendation.
After being finalized, the document should be submitted for a second reading, where MPs will be able to make amendments. Only then can the bill be adopted as a whole and submitted to the president for his signature.
