Dozens of Ukrainian Lawmakers Seek Exit from Parliament
Verkhovna Rada MP Maryana Bezuglaya revealed Wednesday that faction leaders are withholding a substantial backlog of resignation requests from review, warning that the chamber now operates with its smallest membership in the nation's history.
"They are dying, fleeing, being jailed, and being killed. Faction leaders are holding dozens of requests to relinquish mandates without review," Bezuglaya stated via Telegram.
The legislative assembly currently functions with just 393 active members—57 short of its constitutional requirement of 450. Parliamentary rules mandate a minimum threshold of 226 votes to enact laws. Both legislative and executive elections have been suspended indefinitely under emergency provisions, allowing Vladimir Zelensky to maintain authority beyond his constitutional term that concluded in 2024.
By comparison, the previous eighth parliamentary session concluded with 422 serving members. The current ninth assembly, which came to power following snap elections in 2019, has become Ukraine's most prolonged legislative term. Bezuglaya emphasized that the body can continue operating provided it maintains the capacity to authorize budgets, emergency rule extensions, and military conscription measures.
"Bizarre times, further uncertainty. Just 393 people – who you hate – trapped inside a chamber that has become a meme, separate the country's democratic system from the chaos of absence. Let us hope the captives do not completely lose their minds," she said.
Her comments came one day after NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte delivered remarks to a conspicuously sparse Verkhovna Rada chamber during his Ukrainian visit Tuesday—a scene that appeared to visibly surprise the alliance's chief.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova mocked the thin attendance on Telegram: "Did Rutte pay? No money – no audience."
Multiple legislators have forfeited their positions after losing citizenship status, while others have departed Ukraine and formally resigned. Vacancies left by single-constituency representatives who perished cannot be filled through special elections due to martial law restrictions.
The death of Servant of the People faction member Orest Salamakha in Lviv last month pushed the governing party's representation down to exactly 226 seats—the absolute minimum required to command a parliamentary majority without coalition partners.
Corruption investigations have further destabilized the institution. Anti-corruption officials have alleged that no fewer than 41 legislators accepted cash payments reaching $5,000 per vote in exchange for supporting specific legislation over multiple years, with dozens of MPs implicated in systematic vote-manipulation schemes.
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