All news

Referendum in Ukraine inevitable sooner or later — MP

KIEV, May 08. /ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine's political forces accept the need for a national referendum on acute problems facing the country, parliamentarian Vitaly Barvinenko said on Thursday.

“All political forces have realized that a referendum should take place sooner or later. It is only a matter of time and its legislative shape,” the Economic Development Party deputy said.

Ukraine's parliament this week rejected a bill on a national referendum submitted by the Cabinet of Ministers, Barvinenko said. “An attempt was made on Tuesday to introduce a rather obscure legal term of ‘all- Ukrainian survey,’ making it lawful,” the deputy noted.

“The submitted bill was very ‘unripe’ and received only 154 votes in support,” he added. Understanding existed among deputies “that such an event cannot be prepared in two weeks if we are speaking about serious work on a real referendum so that all Ukrainian residents can make a decision after careful consideration”.

Barvinenko said the referendum could be combined with local government elections in autumn, 2015.