Zelenskyy's Amendments To Constitution As For Decentralization Mention Nothing About Special Status Of Donbas Or Its Territories

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s bill 2598 on amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine as for the decentralization does not mention anything about special status of Donetsk and Luhansk regions or their territories.

This follows from the text of the bill posted on the official website of the Ukrainian Parliament, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

Not only does Zelenskyy avoid mentioning of provision of any special status to Donetsk and Luhansk regions, but also suggests excluding from the Constitution the names of regions leaving only the name of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

Besides, Zelenskyy suggests exclusion from the Constitution the fact that the cities of Kyiv and Sevastopol (a city in Crimea) have a special status that is established by the law, having replaced it with the definition stating that the legal status of Kyiv as the capital of Ukraine is defined with a standalone law.

Therefore, Sevastopol loses its special status enshrined in the Constitution.

The bill envisions that the competence of regional and community district (an administrative and territorial units replacing regional districts) councils is set with the law; besides, the law also regulates authorities of local self-government bodies, including those of the communities as local self-governance’s primary unit.

At the same time, the text of the document does not directly ban provision of special authorities to communities, community districts and regions.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine disband local state administrations and introduce the institution of prefects instead before March 2021.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is suggesting that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine change the territory structure of Ukraine and introduce communities and communication districts instead of cities, towns and districts.

The Russian Federation insists that Ukraine enshrine special status of Donbas in the Constitution.

Zelenskyy considers that the Minsk agreements demand holding of the constitutional reform in terms of decentralization.

On December 12, the Verkhovna Rada prolonged the Law of Ukraine On special order of local self-governance in some districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions until December 31, 2020 inclusive.