A Referendum Is a Critically Necessary Tool of State Governance in Ukraine, an Expert Says on Making Key Decisions

Political analyst Ruslan Bortnyk explained whether holding a referendum on the U.S. peace plan would amount to shifting responsibility onto the people, and assessed the overall effectiveness of this governance method, Politeka reports.

He spoke about this on his blog.

According to the expert, it would be good if such a transfer of responsibility through referendums in Ukraine took place every year—for example, every December 1 on accumulated issues—otherwise it will remain a zone of manipulation for political elites who simply паразitize on it. He says this resembles a joke about a young and an old lawyer: the son comes to his father and says he has won a case that the father could not win for 20 years, but the father replies that by doing so the son has deprived them of their source of income.

He also notes that it is important to avoid manipulation around such a referendum, so the question should be phrased as simply as possible—“yes” or “no” to Trump’s peace plan, without highlighting individual provisions. In addition, the expert adds, the referendum must be accompanied by a broad discussion involving both opponents and supporters of the U.S. peace plan, and it must be implemented immediately after the vote; otherwise people will feel deceived, and partners, including Trump, will say that the Ukrainian authorities were simply buying time.

“A referendum is a critically necessary instrument of state governance in Ukraine. I would make referendums annual on certain issues that accumulate over time. The Constitutional Court should transfer some issues to a referendum; they should be voted on automatically, as in Switzerland, so that society constantly assumes responsibility for the country’s development course instead of pointing fingers at presidents. After all, if you listen to people on the street, we have no good presidents. All our presidents have been bad. And it will be so forever. All deputies will be bad, all presidents will be bad, until each of us takes on a share of responsibility and becomes involved in governing the state,” Ruslan Bortnyk explains.

Latest news:

Let's remember Politeka wrote, Expert Explains Why Europe Is Providing Ukraine with War Aid: “It’s the Greatest Shield”

Politeka also informed, He became one of the brightest figures in Polish politics: Sławomir Majman talks about the new president of Poland

In addition, Politeka informed, Expert Explains Whether the West Can Destroy Russia’s Shadow Fleet