Failed bills and repeat votes: “Servant of the People” points to political horse-trading as part of the reality
15 January 19:44
РОЗБІР ВІД 
The January votes in the Verkhovna Rada served as a clear example of the political crisis facing the Ukrainian parliament. Several key decisions—ranging from personnel appointments to sensitive issues of mobilization—were either rejected or passed only on the second attempt. The opposition accuses the ruling majority of being dysfunctional, some members of the “Servants” admit to political horse-trading, and lawmakers publicly speak of a loss of trust, a lack of communication, and a shortage of systemic solutions. Why is parliament increasingly “stumbling” on key votes, and what does this mean for the government and society? Read more in this article
On January 13, the Verkhovna Rada lacked the votes to appoint Denys Shmyhal as the new energy minister, and the personnel decision had to be made only on the second attempt.
The difference between the two votes was noted by Oleksiy Honcharenko, a member of parliament from “European Solidarity.” In his post, he drew attention to the shift in positions among certain factions:
“By the way, ‘Batkivshchyna’ cast as many as 4 votes in favor of the appointment. 2 abstained. And yesterday there were 0 votes. From ‘Holos’ today — 8. Yesterday — 0. From ‘Servants’ today — 167. Yesterday — 153,” Goncharenko wrote.
Hinting that these figures may indicate active inter-faction negotiations and attempts by the Presidential Administration to “push through” the desired result between the first and second votes.
At the same time, parliament was unable to proceed to a vote on another high-profile appointment—Mykhailo Fedorov as Minister of Defense.
A similar situation arose in the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence, which only supported the dismissal of SBU Head Vasyl Malyuk during a second review. And on January 15, parliament failed to pass a bill granting a 12-month deferment from mobilization for contract soldiers aged 18–25—only 202 MPs supported the document during the second reading. Commenting on the failed vote, MP Mariana Bezuhla stated:
“Everything you need to know when they try to address issues piecemeal without comprehensive solutions: without replacing military leadership, without defining terms of service or rotations, without rethinking the work of the TCC and the flawed front-line command system. […. ] The Verkhovna Rada has just adjourned due to a lack of votes,” Bezuhla wrote.
“Batkivshchyna” explained the discrepancy in votes for Shmyhal
Oleksiy Kucherenko, a People’s Deputy from the “Batkivshchyna” faction, reacted harshly in a comment to “Ukrainian Kommersant” regarding the votes cast by certain faction members in favor of appointing Denys Shmyhal, who supported the candidate despite the party’s official position. According to him, such actions are unacceptable for an opposition political force and require an internal party assessment and a serious discussion. Kucherenko does not hide his indignation and emphasizes that faction discipline on this issue was clearly defined in advance.
“The fact that our four voted—well, not four, but three, because one person [ed. – Lyudmyla Buimister] left altogether and walked away, and I applauded that. She shouldn’t have been admitted to the faction; it was a mistake, and we’d discussed this earlier. But as for our three deputies—I will insist that we have a very serious conversation with them. I absolutely do not like this. I can guess why Ivchenko voted that way—that will be a separate, tough conversation. And Yulia Tymoshenko also said that such behavior is unacceptable,” emphasized Oleksiy Kucherenko.
At the same time, according to the MP, attention should be focused not on the arithmetic of individual votes, but on a systemic political problem.
“Here, we shouldn’t focus on the nuances, but on the fundamental issue. Tymoshenko has never hidden this, and I personally support her: the existing coalition, the so-called mono-coalition, is dysfunctional and incapable of taking responsibility, forming a government, controlling it, and generating anything adequate to the situation,” Kucherenko stated.
Kucherenko emphasizes: the “Batkivshchyna” faction deliberately does not participate in votes on government appointments by the mono-majority.
“As an opposition force, we recognize that this is absolutely not the right coalition. Accordingly, we must have our own tactics and strategy for behavior and voting. We do not support, do not vote for, and do not take responsibility for their government appointments,” says Kucherenko
Separately, Kucherenko reacted sharply to attempts to shift the blame for the failure of the first vote onto the opposition.
“This isn’t our problem. Why is Goncharenko watching our vote? Let him watch how the so-called mono-coalition votes. They consistently provide 150–160 of their own votes, and make up the rest by drawing from other groups,” says Oleksiy Kucherenko
Political bargaining is part of reality: the position of a “Servant of the People” MP
“Servant of the People” MP Georgiy Mazurashu in an exclusive comment for the publication
“Personally, I was surprised that there were no votes in favor of appointing Shmyhal. I thought it would pass without any problems,” says Mazurashu
At the same time, the MP does not rule out that backroom deals are behind the failed vote:
“It’s harder for me to understand what’s behind these ‘maneuvers,’ since I don’t participate in various backroom deals. As one might guess by analyzing the past, various political bargaining fits perfectly into the tradition of our politics… It’s a component of political life,” Mazurashu noted
According to the MP, even despite the awareness of the imperfections of such processes, they currently remain a reality of Ukrainian politics. One can devise and propose models closer to the ideal, but implementing them is currently unrealistic.
Separately, the MP explained why he personally did not support the candidacy of Denys Shmyhal, despite his respect for Shmyhal’s experience and competence.
“I did not vote for the appointment of Denys Anatoliyovych, despite my genuine respect for him and his experience and competencies, because I did not receive any understanding from the Ministry of Defense he heads regarding the cessation of the shameful ‘busification,’” – Georgiy Mazurashu
Mazurashu cited a specific example which, in his words, became a matter of principle for him:
“In response to a parliamentary inquiry regarding the ‘busification’ of a lawyer removed from military registration (who was dragged by his stomach across the asphalt while in uniform, as seen in the video), his deputy officially replied that no physical force had been used against this citizen,” says Mazurashu.
The MP described this response from officials as a brazen lie. This means that officials under Shmyhal’s leadership also lied to voters, says the MP.
According to Mazurashu, ignoring the position of MPs and society inevitably has political consequences.
Communication Instead of Pressure
In conclusion, Mazurashu emphasized that even under the difficult conditions of war, the key to supporting decisions must be dialogue, not coercion.
“MPs may disagree with certain decisions. If these decisions are truly promising and beneficial for the country, then we need to communicate effectively and engage in dialogue; with mutual respect, we can always achieve more. But if we rely solely on threats and suspicions—I don’t think that’s a promising path,” Mazurashu concludes.
Thus, the failure of the law on deferment for contract soldiers and the complicated appointment of Shmyhal have shown: without honest communication, clear rules of service, personnel accountability, and real coalition discipline, parliament will continue to be a source of political turbulence. In wartime, such instability comes at a much higher cost—both for the state and for society.
