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Ukraine’s parliament passes constitutional amendments on decentralization in first reading

The amendments proposed by President Petro Poroshenko were supported by 265 lawmakers while 87 parliamentarians voted against

The Verkhovna Rada (archive) Maxim Nikitin/TASS

The Verkhovna Rada (archive)

© Maxim Nikitin/TASS

KIEV, August 31. /TASS/. Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has passed in the first reading on Monday the amendments to the country’s Constitution on decentralization. These amendments proposed by President Petro Poroshenko were supported by 265 lawmakers, with the minimum number of 226 required votes. A total of 87 parliamentarians voted against the amendments.

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Radical Party protests constitutional changes, blocks Ukraine parliament’s tribune

The issue was considered with the presidium blocked by the Radical Party faction protesting against the constitutional amendments.

Earlier on Monday, activists protesting the adoption of constitutional changes blocked traffic near the parliament on Grushevskogo Street, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry department in Kiev said.

A TASS correspondent reported earlier in the day that more than 1,000 Ukrainians from various regions who oppose the amendments staged a picket outside the parliament.

They demanded that the Verkhovna Rada should postpone Monday’s consideration of the amendments proposed by President Petro Poroshenko.

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