Poroshenko criticizes alternative voting in Rada shelter during air raid alerts

Lawmaker Petro Poroshenko, the head of the European Solidarity party, has voiced strong opposition to alternative voting methods that would allow lawmakers to cast their ballots remotely during air raid alerts. In the Verkhovna Rada, Poroshenko vehemently rejected the idea, stating that anyone who finds the proposal "unconstitutional" should resign from their position.

He emphasized that all lawmakers should fulfill their duties in person, regardless of the ongoing conflict, as Ukraine is currently under constant shelling. Poroshenko also urged fellow lawmakers to vote in favor of bill No. 15397, which focuses on constructing shelters to protect the Ukrainian people. The Verkhovna Rada's administrative office had previously prepared designated spaces and established an alternative voting system for lawmakers to utilize during prolonged air raid warnings.

Lawmakers would be given the option to relocate within 10 minutes to a conference hall on the basement level, complete with necessary equipment for plenary sessions. The hall is equipped with workstations for all 368 lawmakers, a podium, and a round table for committee chairs, bill sponsors, and anyone seeking to address the assembly.

Lawmakers would have two voting options in such situations: demonstrating their support by standing and being counted, or utilizing an online voting system. Vyacheslav Shtuchny, head of the Rada's administrative office, clarified that the voting system's development began at the outset of the full-scale invasion and has undergone all required assessments by the State Service for Special Communications.

According to Stefanchuk, the sole objective of these measures is to ensure lawmakers can carry out their duties during an alert, while maintaining the primary sessions in the main hall as usual.