Changes in the voting system

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Верховна Рада України (English: Supreme Council of Ukraine)) is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman (speaker). It meets in the Verkhovna Rada building in Ukraine's capital Kiev.

The Verkhovna Rada was first established in 1938 as the national parliament of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic after the reorganization of Central Executive Committee of Ukrainian SSR. Since then, 17 convocations (sessions) of the Verkhovna Rada were held. The Verkhovna Rada of the 14th convocation officially changed the numbering of sessions, proclaiming itself the Verkhovna Rada of the third convocation. The sixth convocation is the latest convocation of the parliament.

In the Verkhovna Rada elections, the seats are divided among all parties that achieved a minimum 3% nationwide vote tally, using the Hamilton method of apportionment.[6] The latest elections to the Verkhovna Rada were held on September 30, 2007. On October 8, 2008, President Viktor Yushchenko dissolved the parliament and called early elections, however these never took place.[7]

Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2012

On February 1, 2011 the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) set the election date for the next Ukrainian parliamentary election for October 28, 2012. The elections will use a mixed voting system (50% under party lists and 50% under simple-majority constituencies) with a 5% election threshold and the participation of blocs of political parties will not be allowed anymore. The election campaign will be limited to 90 days.

Election date set

On February 1, 2011 the Verkhovna Rada set the election date for October 28, 2012. Several deputies whose votes were registered that day have stated they could not have taken part in voting because they were not in Kiev (where the Verkhovna Rada building is located) on February 1, 2011. Voting by MPs in the place of absent MPs of the Verkhovna Rada is prohibited by law.

Changes in the voting system

In June, 2011 the Venice Commission reviewed a proposed Draft Law on the election of Ukrainian parliamentary members.[32] The proposal sought to re-instate a mixed-member proportional representation system (used in the 1998 and 2002 elections)[33] with the establishment of 255 local single-member districts elected by a first-past-the-post electoral system (highest vote wins); and the remaining 255 parliamentary seats being elected nationwide on a proportional party-list system[32] with a 5% support threshold; and excluding political blocs from all elections.[34] The option "Vote against all" was also made defunct in the proposal.[34][35] The opposition and Ukrainian analysts accused the Party of Regions of "rewriting the law so that the president could secure a majority in the next Verkhovna Rada."[35][36] In October 2011 the Venice Commission recommended Ukraine should not return to a mixed election system.[37] Nevertheless, on 17 November 2011 the Ukrainian Parliament approved an election law almost identical to the June 2011 proposed Draft Law.[7][6] This new law satisfied the mayor opposition parties Batkivschyna and Front for Change; but was condemned by the core party of Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc, Our Ukraine.[38][39][40] Candidates can be elected on party lists or through self-nomination.

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