A bill on the city of Kyiv – the capital of Ukraine has passed its first reading in parliament.
Relevant draft law No. 2143-3 was backed by 244 MPs out of 387 registered in the session hall, according to an UNIAN correspondent.
The bill submitted by a group of MPs from the Servant of the People parliamentary faction proposes to establish that Kyiv as the capital of Ukraine is the political and administrative center of the state, the location of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Office of the President of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, certain central executive agencies, and other government bodies.
Ten municipal districts make up Kyiv's administrative and territorial structure.
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It is established that local self-government in Kyiv is carried out by the territorial communities of the city and districts, both directly and through local authorities.
The system of local government in the city of Kyiv includes: the territorial community of the city of Kyiv, the Kyiv Mayor, Kyiv City Council, Kyiv Town Hall, territorial communities of districts in the city of Kyiv, district councils, district administrations, and self-organization bodies.
The Mayor of Kyiv is the top official of the territorial community of the city of Kyiv. He heads the executive body of Kyiv City Council, which is Kyiv Town Hall, and presides over Kyiv City Council meetings.
In pursuance of his or her authority, the chairperson of Kyiv City State Administration issues orders, instructions and files objections. He can check the acts of local authorities of the city of Kyiv, except for individual acts, for their compliance with the Constitution and (or) the laws of Ukraine.
This bill introduces amendments to the law on local elections under which the composition (number of members) of Kyiv City Council shall be 80 people (now 120). The composition of a district council in the city of Kyiv is 20 members.
The law is supplemented by the paragraph "Holding local elections in the city of Kyiv." In particular, it is provided that Kyiv City Council members shall be elected according to the proportional election system in multi-member constituencies. The elections shall be held on open electoral lists of political parties' city organizations in a way that gives the voter the right to prioritize the position of a candidate in the list of the party for which he or she votes.
The elections of the Kyiv Mayor shall be held according to the majority system of the absolute majority in a single-mandate constituency, which coincides with the territory of the city of Kyiv.
Members of district councils in the city of Kyiv shall be elected in keeping with the majority system of the relative majority in multi-member constituencies, into which the district territory in the city of Kyiv is divided. The territory of the city of Kyiv is split into 10 multi-member constituencies.
The right to participate in the distribution of mandates is acquired by candidates running for council members' seats who are included in the electoral lists of parties' city organizations and have received five or more percent of the vote in relation to the total number of votes cast for the candidates.
Participation in the elections to Kyiv City Council by the self-nomination of candidates is not allowed. The city center of a political party may nominate both a member of a political party and an independent person as a candidate for an elected position.
A voter shall vote for the list of a political party and for a particular candidate from that party in his or her constituency.
The mayor shall be elected in a single-member constituency. The winner of the mayoral elections in Kyiv is the candidate who gains over 50% of the vote of the total number of voters who cast their ballots on election day.
