Law on referendum was passed under rule of Yanukovych, human rights activists remind

The human rights activists note that it will be possible to hold a plebiscite regarding the changes in the Constitution only after the law on referendum is amended.

The effective law was passed during the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych in 2012, remind the experts of the Center for Political and Legal Reforms.

The law is unconstitutional, according to the Center. The activists demanded to repeal it yet in 2013, including through the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. December 1, 2015, 57 MPs filed the petition at the Constitutional Court regarding the unconstitutionality of the law but the judges did not even consider it.

The experts call on the Verkhovna Rada to consider the alternative draft law on the referendum, which has been already registered in the Parliament. It was prepared by the experts on civil law and is in line with the best European practices, they note.

“Thus, the Prime Minister, first, should take the initiative and show the political will to adopt the sound law on the referendum and then to initiate holding of a referendum… The Constitution is not the contract between the citizens and the authorities. The authorities are not the party to the contract. The Constitution is the contract between the citizens, including on the election of the new government,” the Center experts stress.

Earlier, Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk suggested considering a new version of the Constitution on the referendum.