Ukrainian MP Vitalii Bezgin announced the registration of Draft Law No. 14405 ‘On Ensuring the Authority of Local Councils under Martial Law’ in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which is designed to ensure the stable operation of local councils in small communities under martial law.

‘Together with my colleagues, we registered the draft law in response to numerous appeals from communities in different regions,’ said the MP.

The Draft Law contains several key provisions:

• Decisions by local councils of small communities (with up to 10,000 voters) may be taken by a majority of the number of active councillors, which guarantees a quorum even in communities where a significant number of councillors have prematurely terminated their powers or been mobilised.
• Protection of the rights of mobilised councillors and adaptation of reporting procedures to the security conditions of citizens.
• The possibility of setting up military administrations if the number of councillors falls below half of the total number.
• The law will only apply during the period of martial law and for six months after its termination.

The explanatory note to the Draft Law states that since the 2020 local elections, more than 9,000 local councillors have prematurely terminated their powers. For small communities, this creates a risk of losing quorum and the actual capacity of councils to function.

Vitalii Bezgin also expressed his gratitude to expert Olena Boiko for her work on the text of the draft law, emphasising the importance of a professional approach to the preparation of the regulatory act.

Draft Law No. 14405 aims to adapt the work of local councils to the conditions of martial law and ensures that even in difficult times, communities will remain functional and councillors will be able to fulfil their obligations to voters.

Previously, Decentralisation reported that the Obertyn settlement council appealed to the Members of the Ukrainian Parliament with a proposal to amend Article 46 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On Local Self-Government in Ukraine’. The community proposed that during the period of martial law, a session should be considered valid if at least 45 per cent of the total number of councillors are present at the meeting.