Opposition alleges Presidential Office seeks to silence Poroshenko in parliament
Petro Poroshenko (Photo: Petro Poroshenko/Facebook)
Ukraine’s European Solidarity party has accused the Presidential Office of orchestrating a six-month ban on former President Petro Poroshenko’s parliamentary activities, the party’s press service said in a statement on Facebook on Jan. 30.
The party claims the move aims to prevent Poroshenko from participating in plenary sessions during the upcoming parliamentary term.
European Solidarity alleged that the President’s Office instructed members of the ruling Servant of the People party to block Poroshenko’s activities. The ban stems from a complaint by MP Mykyta Poturaiev, who accused Poroshenko of insulting MP Bohdan Yaremenko in a private conversation.
The party noted that under wartime conditions, parliamentary sessions run continuously from February to August, making the ban particularly disruptive.
European Solidarity said that Zelenskyy’s administration personally called the lawmakers who are members of the Regulatory Committee to "ensure the turnout and correct voting."
"This is obviously another link in the chain of actions by the authorities to systematically discredit and hinder the activities of the opposition leader," the party stated.
European Solidarity believes that Poroshenko is being blocked from parliamentary activities and the opportunity to speak in the session hall. The party views the government's actions as "political pressure and selectivity."
In addition, the press service added that "the government is preparing for the elections and has started by clearing the political field and its competitors."
On Jan. 16, Poroshenko claimed he was denied permission to travel abroad for a meeting with the leader of the European People’s Party.
In turn, the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, said that Poroshenko did indeed have a signed business trip to the meeting of the Political Assembly of the European People's Party, which took place on Jan. 13-14 in Brussels. According to him, the leader of the European Solidarity asked in his statement to be sent from Jan. 11 to 15.
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