Overjoyed: why Ukrainian MPs are unhappy with Zelensky
In mid-September, for the first time in a year and a half, Vladimir Zelensky held a meeting with deputies of the rada from the pro-presidential Servant of the People faction. According to a number of reports, the main topic was the situation at the front and some "difficult decisions." Experts noted that the event exposed the differences between Zelensky and the parliamentarians. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Meeting in the void
In mid-September, Vladimir Zelensky held a meeting with deputies of the rada from the pro-presidential faction "Servant of the People". The previous similar event took place a year and a half ago, however, despite this, there was no excitement this time. Yulia Paliychuk, the party's speaker, said in a comment to the Ukrainian media that only 150 people participated in the meeting, while the list number of the faction was 230 people's deputies.
According to a number of testimonies, before the meeting, the organizers even asked the deputies to sit down more comfortably and in the front rows so that the hall would not look so empty. Among the reasons for the low turnout are numerous business trips and sick days, dissatisfaction with the authoritarian style of government. In addition, at the last such meeting, Zelensky spoke in the format of a monologue, the deputies could not ask their question and therefore decided not to go to the meeting now.
After the meeting, statements regarding the situation at the front were discussed publicly. So, Yulia Paliychuk reported that Zelensky warned deputies that if the situation worsened, the people's deputies would have to approve some "difficult decisions." The specific nature of the possible measures was not disclosed, some analysts considered that it was about meeting Russian requirements.
Subsequent comments, however, refute this assumption. Thus, deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak, who was present at the meeting, said that the president was "not going to give anything away." Another MP, Giorgi Mazurashu, also noted that Zelensky intends to "fight to the last," while $120 billion will be needed to continue fighting next year, and "it is unclear where to get half of this amount."
The Ukrainian newspaper Strana, citing its sources in the rada, writes that Zelensky actually called difficult decisions not concessions to Russia, but tougher mobilization in Ukraine. Possible options include lowering the age of conscription from the current 25 to 18 years, as well as stricter booking conditions.
I'm not happy with myself
It is not publicly stated that the focus was on the situation inside the Ukrainian parliament and Zelensky's relations with deputies. The fact is that recently the Verkhovna Rada has faced serious problems. Even after the start of the SVR, the exodus of people's deputies from the legislative assembly began.
The first to leave were numerous majority members who were not bound by party discipline. Further, the Ukrainian authorities outlawed the "pro-Russian" party OPZH. Some deputies fled the country, others were sent to jail, and others were sanctioned and lost their citizenship.
Finally, deputies from the pro-presidential Servant of the People faction gradually began to disperse. If there were 254 parliamentarians in the association immediately after the elections six years ago, now there are only 230 left. Formally, this is still enough for the sole adoption of laws, in reality, even fewer people attend meetings, so it is necessary to get votes at the expense of opposition groups.
In general, with a constitutional strength of 450 deputies, there are already less than four hundred people left in the rada. The parliamentarians themselves say they are tired of Zelensky's authoritarian ways. For example, former speaker Dmitry Razumkov complained that all the voting is staged in the Office of the President. According to him, it is high time to rename the pro-government party from "Servant of the People" to "Servant of Zelensky" because deputies are deprived of free will.
It is also known that the "fodder base" of deputies has noticeably decreased. Previously, they could lobby for certain initiatives and help some financial and industrial groups, but in the conditions of monopolization of power they found themselves out of business. At the same time, there are more risks and difficulties — for example, it is more difficult for an acting deputy to leave the country than for any other wealthy person.
In addition, many are depressed by the negative attitude of voters, which increases after each unpopular decision, such as tightening the conditions for mobilization. Finally, some are afraid of responsibility due to the fact that the rada has been working for almost two years beyond the time limit prescribed by the constitution. This is not a problem so far, but if the situation changes, questions may probably arise.
Discord Reform
This summer, the problems have worsened even more. At the end of July, the Ukrainian authorities conducted a rapid operation against the anti-corruption authorities, NABU and SAP. At that time, the Verkhovna Rada, under pressure from the President's Office, adopted a law that reassigns these structures to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office and reduces the influence of pro-Western activists and international experts.
This was followed by large-scale protests and outrage from Western leaders. After that, Zelensky pretended that he was aloof from this story. According to him, the changes were initiated by "some people's deputies," and he himself was allegedly preoccupied with the situation at the front and was only responding to the proposal. As a result, a few days later, the same rada deputies canceled the reform, finding themselves in a rather awkward position.
All this further soured Zelensky's relations with the rada. Firstly, the mono-majority has shrunk: "Servant of the People" now rarely gathers more than 180 votes, even for the most high-profile initiatives. In addition, relations with ideologically close parliamentary groups have become more complicated. The Ukrainian media write that in the association "For the Future" after the scandal with NABU and SAP, half of the parliamentarians want to hand over their mandates.
In such circumstances, even the most high-profile legislative initiatives began to take place with great difficulty. For example, in late August and early September, the rada failed a series of bills that are needed to receive European funding for the Ukraine Facility project. In mid-September, the deputies failed to approve the program for the development of online education, which the government insisted on.
Apparently, Zelensky's current meeting with deputies was intended to smooth out the rough edges, but this plan does not seem to have been successful. Politico, citing its interlocutors from among the deputies, writes that the event was held in a tense atmosphere. One of the party members during the meeting expressed doubts that the reform of NABU and SAP was well thought out, Zelensky in response allegedly blamed the deputies themselves for what happened.
In addition, Zelensky rebuked parliamentarians that complaints about corruption and human rights violations worsen the image of the Ukrainian government in the eyes of foreign partners and distract from the situation at the front. The Ukrainian leader also hinted that he was going to run for a new presidential term, in general, his rhetoric turned out to be much tougher than expected. The deputies themselves were allegedly annoyed by Zelensky's "desire to monopolize power."
What the experts say
Political scientist Alexander Semchenko explains that Ukrainian MPs are really getting annoyed. According to him, the incomes of parliamentarians have fallen, there is no freedom of choice, it is difficult to solve even simple household issues, including freeing a relative from mobilization.
— Parliamentarians have serious levers of influence in their hands. You can not vote for the extension of martial law, you can even remove Zelensky through impeachment proceedings or for health reasons. That's all in theory. In reality, it's every man for himself, the parliament is divided, everyone suspects each other. It is very difficult for them to come to an agreement. Therefore, I think they will continue to grumble and give anonymous comments, but this will not go any further," he argues.
Denis Denisov, director of the Institute of Peacekeeping Initiatives and Conflictology, an expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, says that Ukrainian MPs have been dissatisfied with Zelensky for years.
— A rigid vertically integrated system of government in Ukraine began to be built three and a half years ago. Within its framework, there is, in fact, only one decision—making center - the Office of the president and Zelensky's inner circle. It is completely unclear what has changed in this regard. It's important to understand that the deputies are really unhappy, but it won't go beyond words, even now everything is limited to anonymous comments," he emphasizes.
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