Ukraine’s Parliament during Wartime
Balancing Security and Transparency
In: International Journal of Parliamentary StudiesSearch for other papers by Stanislav Ivasyk in
Current site
Google Scholar
Abstract
The article examines the challenge of balancing security restrictions with the need for transparent and democratic legislative functioning. It begins by highlighting the importance of transparency and its relationship with democracy and good governance. Using Ukraine as a case study, the article reviews the open data and other transparency measures employed by Ukraine’s Parliament before the onset of the full-scale Russian aggression on February 24, 2022. It then discusses the limitations imposed on these measures following the declaration of martial law, the ensuing public debate, and subsequent modifications to specific transparency restrictions. Through concrete examples, the paper argues that a lack of transparency and the failure to balance security limitations with public demand for openness can undermine the parliament’s legitimacy and constitutional authority. The article concludes that security measures must be proportionate and regularly updated to preserve the integrity of parliamentary democracy and the constitutional role of the parliament.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
-
Agency for Legislative Initiatives. (2023, April 20). “Legislative purgatory”: what to do with law drafts that the President won’t sign? https://parlament.org.ua/en/analytics/legislative-purgatory-what-to-do-with-law-drafts-that-the-president-wont-sign/.
-
chesno. (2024, January 8). Ukrayintsi za vidnovlennya dostupu zhurnalistiv do Rady pid chas viyny. Rezultaty sotsopytuvannya [Українці за відновлення доступу журналістів до Ради під час війни. Результати соцопитування]. https://www.chesno.org/post/5839/.
-
Coalition of ngo s. (2024, February 6). Ukrainian Parliament should become more open to the media and the public. zmina—Human Rights Centre. https://zmina.ua/en/statements-en/the-ukrainian-parliament-should-become-more-open-to-the-media-and-the-public/.
-
Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. (2002). Recommendation Rec(2002)2 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on access to official documents. https://rm.coe.int/16804c6fcc.
-
Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents, No. cets No. 205 (2009). https://rm.coe.int/1680084826.
-
d’Entrèves, A. P. (1963). Legality and Legitimacy. The Review of Metaphysics, (16(4)), 687–702. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20123969.
-
Enria, L., Waterlow, N., Rogers, N. T., Brindle, H., Lal, S., Eggo, R. M., Lees, S., & Roberts, C. h. (2021). Trust and transparency in times of crisis: Results from an online survey during the first wave (April 2020) of the covid-19 epidemic in the UK. PLOS ONE, 16(2), Article e0239247. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239247.
-
Hoff, S. B. (1994). The Presidential Pocket Veto: Its Use and Legality. Journal of Policy History, 6(2), 188–208. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0898030600003717.
-
International Republican Institute. (2024, June 2). Citizens and the Parliament: Trust, Interaction and Transparency Under Martial Law Wave 2 Survey. Internews Ukraine. https://internews.ua/rang/materiale/poll-Citizens-Parliament-2-wave.
-
Ivasyk, S. (2024, January 10). How Ukraine’s Parliament Functions during Wartime. Wilson Center. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/how-ukraines-parliament-functions-during-wartime?fbclid=IwAR1gcN7RBQNQTmRvODFmOT4yuVix1LZVnGJrwzbKDiPgWVVyFhlZT3n4OMk.
-
Kyiv International Institute of Sociolog. (2023, December 18). Press releases and reports—Dynamics of trust in social institutions in 2021–2023. https://www.kiis.com.ua/?lang=eng&cat=reports&id=1335&page=1.
-
Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. (2023, October 31). Dynamics of perception of the direction of affairs in Ukraine and trust in certain institutions between may 2022 and october 2023. https://kiis.com.ua/?lang=eng&cat=reports&id=1321&page=1.
-
Kysela, J., & Kühn, Z. (2007). Presidential Elements in Government The Czech Republic. European Constitutional Law Review, 3(1), 91–113. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1574019607000910.
-
Landman, T. (2007, May). Developing Democracy: Concepts, Measures, and Empirical Relationships. International idea. https://www.idea.int/sites/default/files/speeches/Developing-Democracy-Concepts-Measures-and-Empirical-Relationships-PDF.pdf.
-
Media Consumption of Ukrainians in a Full-Scale War.oporaSurvey. (2022, June 1). opora. https://www.oporaua.org/en/polit_ad/24068-mediaspozhivannia-ukrayintsiv-v-umovakh-povnomasshtabnoyi-viini-opituvannia-opori-24068.
-
Minutes of parliament’s planary meeting as of December 13, 2022. (2022, December 13). Official webportal of the Parliament of Ukraine. https://www.rada.gov.ua/meeting/stenogr/show/8088.html.
-
Murombo, T. (2016). The Effectiveness of Initiatives to Promote Good Governance, Accountability and Transparency in the Extractives Sector in Zimbabwe. Journal of African Law, 60(2), 230–263. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0021855316000061.
-
odihr Election Observation Mission. (2019). Ukraine, Early Parliamentary Elections, 21 July 2019: Final Report. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/ukraine/439634.
-
Ogorek, M. (2005). The Doctrine of Parliamentary Sovereignty in Comparative Perspective. German Law Journal, 6(6), 967–980. https://doi.org/10.1017/s207183220001405x.
-
Petition to veto Law no. 8271on increasing liability of military personal. (2022, December 15). Elektronni petytsii—Ofitsiine internet-predstavnytstvo Prezydenta Ukrainy [Електронні петиції—Офіційне інтернет-представництво Президента України]. https://petition.president.gov.ua/petition/173526.
-
Pohorilov, S. (2024, May 1). Journalists to be allowed into Ukrainian parliament for the first time since the full-scale invasion. Ukrainska Pravda. https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/05/1/7453758/.
-
Reservations and Declarations for Treaty No.205—Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents (cetsNo. 205). (2020, August 19). Council of Europe. https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list?module=declarations-by-treaty&numSte=205&codeNature=0.
-
Roshchina, O. (2022, December 19). Zaluzhnyi supports increasing responsibility for servicemen guilty of desertion and disobedience. Ukrainska Pravda. https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/12/19/7381462/.
-
Salizhenko, О., & Oliinyk, V. (2024, February 12). Vkhid dozvoleno. Reytynh vidkrytosti parlamentsʹkykh komitetiv—2023 [Вхід дозволено. Рейтинг відкритості парламентських комітетів—2023]. chesno. https://www.chesno.org/post/5870/.
-
Salizhenko, O. (2023, August 1). Na saiti Verkhovnoyi Rady vidnovliat profaily nardepiv—vitsespiker Korniyenko [На сайті Верховної Ради відновлять профайли нардепів—віцеспікер Корнієнко]. chesno. https://www.chesno.org/post/5687/.
-
Salizhenko, O., & Oliinyk, V. (2023, August 1). Yak pratsyuyut komitety Verkhovnoyi Rady? Antyreitynh prozorosti 2.0 [Як працюють комітети Верховної Ради? Антирейтинг прозорості 2.0]. chesno. https://www.chesno.org/post/5684/.
-
Siems, M., & Nelken, D. (2017). Global social indicators and the concept of legitimacy. International Journal of Law in Context, 13(4), 436–449. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1744552317000374.
-
Sustainable reconstruction and integration of Ukraine into the Euro-Atlantic community, Resolution No. 2023/2739(rsp) (2023). https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0247_EN.pdf.
-
Tyler, T. R. (2006). Psychological Perspectives on Legitimacy and Legitimation. Annual Review of Psychology, 57(1), 375–400. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.57.102904.190038.
-
Ukrinform. (2020, October 5). Razumkov zminyv poryadok dopusku zhurnalistiv do Rady v period karantynu [Разумков змінив порядок допуску журналістів до Ради в період карантину]. https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-polytics/3112355-razumkov-zminiv-poradok-dopusku-zurnalistiv-do-radi-v-period-karantinu.html.
-
Ukrinform. (2023, September 5). Hromadski orhanizatsiyi zaklykayut zrobyty robotu Rady bilsh vidkrytoiu [Громадські організації закликають зробити роботу Ради більш відкритою]. https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-polytics/3757362-gromadski-organizacii-zaklikaut-zrobiti-robotu-radi-bils-vidkritou.html.
-
Ukrinform. (2024, May 1). Zhurnalistam povernut dostup do Verkhovnoyi Rady pid chas zasidan [Журналістам повернуть доступ до Верховної Ради під час засідань]. https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-polytics/3858783-zurnalistam-povernut-dostup-do-verhovnoi-radi-pid-cas-zasidan.html.
-
Venher, V., Bondar, M., Doroshenko, B., Kyrychenko, Y., & Ivasyk, S. (2023, August 2). Parliament under Conditions of War: Ukraine’s Example (February 24, 2022–June 30, 2023). An empirical report. Internews Ukraine. https://internews.ua/storage/app/media/rang/VRU-under-war-conditions-ENG.pdf.
-
Venher, V., Ivasyk, S., Doroshenko, B., & Bondar, M. (2024, March 26). Parliament under Conditions of War: Ukraine’s Experience. Tenth Session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the 9th Convocation. Internews Ukraine. https://internews.ua/en/rang/materiale/vru-under-war-conditions-2.
-
Venice Commission. (2016). Rule of Law Checklist (Adopted by the Venice Commission at its 106th Plenary Session). https://www.venice.coe.int/images/SITE%20IMAGES/Publications/Rule_of_Law_Check_List.pdf.
-
Zabolotna, O. (2024, February 5). Top ukvalenykh zakoniv, yaki vse shche ne pidpysav prezydent. Chym tse zahrozhuie? [Топ ухвалених законів, які все ще не підписав президент. Чим це загрожує?]. LB.ua. https://lb.ua/blog/oksana_zabolotna/596985_top_uhvalenih_zakoniv_yaki_shche.html.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 311 | 311 | 104 |
| Full Text Views | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 13 | 13 | 3 |
Ukraine’s Parliament during Wartime
Balancing Security and Transparency
In: International Journal of Parliamentary StudiesSearch for other papers by Stanislav Ivasyk in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
The article examines the challenge of balancing security restrictions with the need for transparent and democratic legislative functioning. It begins by highlighting the importance of transparency and its relationship with democracy and good governance. Using Ukraine as a case study, the article reviews the open data and other transparency measures employed by Ukraine’s Parliament before the onset of the full-scale Russian aggression on February 24, 2022. It then discusses the limitations imposed on these measures following the declaration of martial law, the ensuing public debate, and subsequent modifications to specific transparency restrictions. Through concrete examples, the paper argues that a lack of transparency and the failure to balance security limitations with public demand for openness can undermine the parliament’s legitimacy and constitutional authority. The article concludes that security measures must be proportionate and regularly updated to preserve the integrity of parliamentary democracy and the constitutional role of the parliament.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 311 | 311 | 104 |
| Full Text Views | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 13 | 13 | 3 |