On June 21, 2008, the Civic Assembly of Ukraine "A New Constitution: Civil Society’s Positions" was held at the Ukrainian House in Kyiv, during which positions developed during regional roundtables regarding the process and content of constitutional reform were presented. Participating in the Assembly were early three hundred representatives of NGOs, experts, public activists and journalists from all regions of Ukraine.
On June 21, 2008, the Civic Assembly of Ukraine “A New Constitution: Civil Society’s Positions” was held at the Ukrainian House in Kyiv, during which positions developed during regional roundtables regarding the process and content of constitutional reform were presented.
Participating in the Assembly were early three hundred representatives of NGOs, experts, public activists and journalists from all regions of Ukraine.
In assessing the present constitutional process, society stressed the existence of significant problems. “We have to note that the constitutional process is, unfortunately, an instrument of political battle and its participants do not pay attention to the “single bearer of sovereignty and single source of power.” The directors of the constitutional process are afraid of publicity and do not trust society. But the process needs to be made as public and open as possible. Civil society also has to state its position,” noted Yevhen Zakharov, Co-Chair of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group.
Constitutional reform is not a panacea for all social problems. According to Ihor Koliushko, Chairman of the Board of the Center for Political and Legal Reforms, “the most important aspect of constitutional reform is ensuring that the new Constitution is executed. This depends not only on the text of the Constitution, but perhaps significantly more on the means of its approval, and from the level of people’s understanding and trust of it. Ideally, constitutional reform should conclude reform of the administrative, judicial and other systems.”
“Given that society is experiencing serious political inflation, significant devaluation of political institutions and politics as a process of representing interests and approving decisions, the public expects a more professional and rational approach to assessing and correcting the situation. This relates to improving constitutional norms by approving a new social agreement, as well as reviewing the place, content and role of political institutions, especially political parties.” This conclusion was made by Ihor Kohut, Chairman of the Board, Laboratory of Legislative Initiatives.
Public neutrality or inadequate and unprofessional reactions by the public in such cases is at any rate unpatriotic. CAU is to become an attempt at improving the participation of the public in the sociopolitical life of Ukraine.
The Assembly participants approved a resolution with demands to politicians and government representatives and commissioned the secretary of the organizing committee to send the Resolution, in accordance with legislation on public appeals, to the President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada and leaders of parliamentary factions with the demand that they express their position on the given demands.
The present civil society representatives expressed their unilateral readiness to keep a finger on the pulse of constitutional reform and use all legal means of applying pressure on the politicum in case the constitutional process is not transparent; monitor and publicize the responses received from government representatives; express their reservation regarding the hasty approval of the new constitutional under conditions of political crisis.
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The Civic Assembly of Ukraine was created with the aim of developing and publicly discussing the position of civil society regarding the constitutional process, present demands to current politicians and political forces regarding procedures for ratifying and the text of the new Constitution. 29 representatives of leading Ukrainian NGOs joined the Assembly’s organizing committee. Organizational and financial support for the Civic Assembly of Ukraine is provided by the International Renaissance Foundation.
To read the Resolution, visit the IRF website: https://www.irf.ua/ua/news/?doc:int=6176
Contact person: Andriy Kohut,
Secretary of the Organizing Committee
Email: kohut@irf.kiev.ua
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Khrystyna Basiliya, Public Relations Manager tel: +380 (44) 461 97 09 | fax: +380 (44) 486 76 29 email: basiliya@irf.kiev.ua office: Kyiv, Artema Street, 46, Head Office |
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