Children’s Day In Parliament

Schoolchildren and college students tested Verkhovna Rada’s new software in parliament on August 30. The people’s deputies’ seats were occupied by youngsters, members of the Little Academy of Sciences, winners of school contests, and those showing advanced progress. According to a board of independent experts, the newly installed software, Rada-3, ranks with the best in the world. Each seat in parliament is equipped with a miniature computer allowing broader access and better processing of pertinent data. The main electronic billboard, showing vote turnouts, is replaced by a large color screen. The children’s parliamentary game turned into a serious discussion of problems faced by the younger generation and ways to solve them. The young deputies wanted to know about education and employment opportunities after post-secondary graduation, addressing their questions to Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn.

After that the guests were invited to test the new software, by casting votes and pulling out registration cards while the vote was underway, the most complicated operating mode (by pulling out the registration card one signaled one’s refusal to vote, as rather often happens during parliamentary sessions). Far from all in the audience wanted to actually take seats in parliament, as evidenced by the turnout on the electronic billboard: 170 ayes, 118 nays, 50 abstentions, and 108 not voting.

The speaker said he would like to see a youth parliament in Ukraine, so that young people could participate in the important decision-making process, instead of using the old practice of deciding everything for them. Mr. Lytvyn stressed that such a young people’s parliament should decide on matters relating to better quality education, collective self-government, and employment.. Incidentally, the second session of Verkhovna Rada is starting today and television coverage will be in a new mode. Under the resolution, on the Elucidation of Work of the Second Session, new programs will appear on UT-1 and UT-2 channels. The first national channel will feature a daily Session Diary (21:45), lasting thirty minutes, rather than the ten minutes previously. It will include not only issues dealt with by the session, parliamentary committees, constituencies, but also expert comments relating to bills under study. Every Saturday, UT-2 will have a 45 minute program called “Parliament.” Mykola Orlovsky, manager of Verkhovna Rada television programs, told The Day that “deputies from various factions and committees will be invited for discussions broadcast live.”