“Farewell, single-party majority”: “Servant of the People” MP announces departure from the faction

Member of Parliament Dmytro Kostyuk announced from the Verkhovna Rada’s podium that he is leaving the Servant of the People faction due to the situation surrounding the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).

According to him, MPs were pressured into voting for the draft law that stripped NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) of their powers, with threats of criminal cases. He admitted that he himself had supported the bill a week earlier.

It had been predicted as early as yesterday that following President Volodymyr Zelensky’s reversal on limiting NABU’s powers, majoritarian MPs might begin to leave the Servant of the People faction.

Currently, the faction formally includes 231 deputies, which grants Servant of the People the status of a single-party (monomajority) coalition. Although de facto the monomajority no longer functions, it still exists de jure. However, if six more deputies leave, the faction’s numbers would drop below the 226 votes required for a majority, effectively eliminating the ruling monomajority.

It’s important to note that majoritarian MPs, unlike those elected via party lists, can leave the faction without losing their parliamentary mandates.

Overall, the departure of deputies from Servant of the People is seen as part of an opposition strategy to deprive the President’s Office of control over the Verkhovna Rada.