Activities of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine under martial law: shortcomings and areas for improvement

Abstract

The article shows the essence of the concept of “martial law”, the grounds on which it is introduced in various countries, including Ukraine. The role of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the imposition of martial law in Ukraine is outlined. The legal acts adopted by the parliament during martial law are analyzed. It was found that the People’s Deputies of Ukraine in the martial law of 2022 paid considerable attention to the formation of domestic and foreign policies of the state, the new content of which was by reason of the military aggression of the Russian Federation. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted important political documents, such as appeals to the world community, which deal with war crimes of the Russian Federation and the genocide of the Ukrainian people. In addition, a number of amendments to laws have been adopted. Among them: added grounds for restricting the formation and activity of political parties; the rules of procedure in cases on administrative lawsuits banning a political party have been determined. The author emphasizes that some issues should have been resolved much earlier. For example, scholars have repeatedly pointed to the statements and actions of some public figures and representatives of political parties that posed a threat to the foundations of Ukraine’s national security. Public authorities, which had to respond to such warnings and take appropriate decisions, including suspending the state registration of such organizations, justified their inaction by the lack of an appropriate prosecution mechanism. The article noted that timely response to the problems could protect the country from many bad events and facilitate increase the level of national security and defense. Analysis of the role of parliament in the imposition of martial law and its activities in these conditions proved: there is a difference between the rules approved by law and the rules that are actually applied in practice (imaginary constitutionalism); procedures provided for the adoption of laws are violated (political instrumentalization of law); socio-political problems are partially regulated (politicization of law-making); changes in laws are often made, which indicates their low quality (inflation of law). The article recommends that People’s Deputies of Ukraine strictly adhere to the procedures provided by law and pay more attention to the mechanisms of implementation of legal norms, as their absence leads to the impossibility of implementing legal acts and, consequently, to reducing the role of law in society. Key words: parliament, martial law, imaginary constitutionalism, political instrumentalization of law, politicization of law-making, inflation of law