The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine postponed the vote on the draft law on the termination of the activities of the UOC (MP) in Ukraine, which confirms the fears expressed earlier by analysts from the Spiritual Front of Ukraine regarding the complexity and ambiguity of the issue.
As Ukrainian Pravda reports, referring to Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk, the draft law currently has the support of only 225 to 226 deputies, which does not guarantee its adoption. This confirms our previous reports that the required 226 votes were not sealed, indicating serious divisions in parliament on the said matter.
Stefanchuk said that the internal working group will be finalizing the draft law. This need is consistent with our previous analysis regarding the presence of significant reservations to the text of the draft.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada emphasized that the draft law underwent significant amendments between the first and second readings, which caused disagreement among some deputies. This confirms our previous remarks about significant changes in the text of the document and difficulties in reaching consensus.
Stefanchuk paid special attention to the issue of the constitutionality of the future law. He emphasized the need to create such a draft law, which would be impossible to challenge in the Constitutional Court. This reflects our previous reservations about the possible legal implication of adopting the law and emphasizes the critical need to thoroughly draft the text.
The political aspect of the situation also remains tense. Blocking the rostrum of the Verkhovna Rada by opposition MPs with the demand to adopt the draft law confirms our analysis regarding the presence of significant political pressure around the issue. This demonstrates that the debate on the draft law goes beyond the purely legal and security areas and has a serious political weight.
This new update once again confirms our previous analysis regarding the complexity and inconsistency of the current version of the draft law on banning the UOC (MP). The postponement of the vote and the need for further revision indicate the serious challenges facing the parliament in trying to balance the issues of national security and religious freedom.
These develpments demonstrate all the complexity and sensitivity of the issue of regulating the activities of religious organizations in the context of national security. Further developments surrounding this bill will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the religious and political situation of Ukraine.
