Parliament extended the law on the special status of Donbass
KIEV, October 6 — RIA Novosti. The Verkhovna Rada has prolonged for a year the law on the special status of Donbass, such decision on Friday was supported by 229 MPs with the necessary minimum of 226 votes.
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko submitted to the Parliament as an urgent bill “On creation of necessary conditions for peaceful settlement of the situation in certain districts of Donetsk and Lugansk regions”.
“According to this law temporarily for a period which ends one year from the date of entry into force of the law of Ukraine “On creation of necessary conditions for peaceful settlement of the situation in certain districts of Donetsk and Lugansk regions”, introduced a special procedure of local self-government in certain districts of Donetsk and Lugansk regions”, — the document says.
The law States that special status for Donbas will take effect after fulfillment of certain conditions, in particular the withdrawal of “illegal armed groups” from these territories.
According to the Minsk agreements, Kiev has pledged to provide special status individual regions of Donetsk and Lugansk regions. The relevant law was adopted in 2014, but never used. The law prescribed that some areas of Donbass, not controlled Kiev, will have a special status only after the local elections according to the laws of Ukraine and under control of international observers. However, the elections did not take place, and a special status for the breakaway DNI and LC remained on paper. The law was passed for a period of three years, it expires on 18 October.