President of Ukraine

President on referendum law: From now on, all citizens of Ukraine, not just politicians, will be able to make important decisions on the country's life

29 January 2021 - 09:21

The Law “On democracy through a nationwide referendum” adopted by the Verkhovna Rada provides an opportunity for all citizens of Ukraine to make important decisions regarding the life of the country. And politicians are losing some of their influence, so they criticize this law. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his vlog.

"You might have noticed a certain regularity already: if society supports something and politicians don’t, it means politicians are about to lose something. This was the case when we abolished parliamentary immunity, and this is the case now. This is a disaster for some, because now important decisions can be made not by them, but by all citizens of Ukraine in a referendum," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

He reminded that the adoption of the law on the referendum was among the items of his election program.

"We promised it - we did it. My congratulations to the people of Ukraine, my condolences to certain parties," the President said.

The Head of State added that some deputies opposed the law, but have now changed their position. Volodymyr Zelenskyy also expressed hope that in the future there will be fewer people's deputies turning on a dime.

"In general, I hope there will be fewer deputies: not 450, but 300. This law, by the way, is next in line, we also promised it and should do it. By the way, 300 votes are needed for 300 deputies,” he said.

"I wonder who will join the Servant of the People faction to make this decision possible?" the Head of State asked and called on citizens to closely monitor the roll-call vote for this law.

In addition, the President reminded that this week the parliament adopted many other important documents. In particular, the law on the Bureau of Economic Security and, in the first reading, the law on the reform of the Security Service of Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the people’s deputies for their support.

"These were important points of my election program. We promised that the Security Service of Ukraine would not deal with the economy. We promised that the Security Service of Ukraine would not "harass" businesses and entrepreneurs. So, again: we promised it - we did it,” he stressed.