MP: Procedure for electing head of state service for religion is imperfect

Irina Vereshchuk, MP from the "Servant of the People" faction. Photo: 24tv.ua

MP of the Verkhovna Rada from the "Servant of the People" faction Irina Vereshchuk noted the deficiencies in the procedure for electing the head of the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience. She shared her conclusions with a UOJ correspondent.

In particular, she drew attention to the fact that regardless of the results of the competition for the post of the head of this civil service, the final decision will depend on one person – the Prime Minister of Ukraine.

"It is still necessary to finalize (the procedure – Ed.) in the legislative field. We have simplified the procedures for the Cabinet of Ministers and for those bodies that make decisions on staffing, but there are issues that need to be resolved. Why can now the Prime Minister have a sole influence on decisions? If there are competitions, the decisions of the competition commission should be decisive," commented Vereshchuk on the system of election of the head of the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience.

The deputy drew attention to the fact that a shortcoming in the mechanisms of electing the head of this service may become a reason for accusations of bias against the authorities.

"If, as it is today, the commission has no influence in any way, and this is only a recommendation ... I, for example, did not know that the commission has no influence in this case, and the minister can take into account or not take into account these recommendations. And then the appeal procedure... These mechanisms have not been finalized. And we need to do it so that we are not accused of being bias and politicized. Lobbyism should not be here, and God forbid corruption," the politician stressed.

In her opinion, an open contest, during which the public and media can observe and evaluate what is happening, is the most correct approach to the election of the head of the civil service.

"But in the end, we saw that the commission has no influence on anything. The criteria by which a person wins must be clearly defined. And these criteria must be simple and clear," concluded Vereshchuk.

We remind you that on January 21, 2020, the next stage of the competition for the post of the Head of the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience ended. Andrei Yurash and Yuri Reshetnikov took the leading positions at this stage. Next, the candidates will have an interview with the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ukraine Vladimir Borodiansky, who will select whose candidacy to vote for in the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine as the winner of the competition. It is members of the Government who will make the final decision on the election of the head of the State Service for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience.

It is noteworthy that earlier Yurash actively supported the struggle of the current Prime Minister of Ukraine Alexei Goncharuk "for truth and dignity". The official then said that those who are trying to “compromise the Prime Minister” does not like Ukraine (a speech about the abuse of office and Goncharuk's request for resignation – Ed.).

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