(Bloomberg) -- Ukraine gave preliminary backing to an overhaul of the electoral system championed by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to improve the makeup of parliament.
The legislature on Tuesday in Kyiv backed a preliminary reading of the bill, which would eliminate single-seat constituencies and reduce the number of lawmakers by a third to 300. It still requires approval from the Constitutional Court before two more readings in parliament, the last of which must garner two-thirds support.
Zelenskiy, an ex-TV comic propelled to the presidency on promises to fight corruption, has long advocated for legislators to be chosen only through party lists.
Single-seat districts currently make up half of parliament’s 450 seats and have often been used as a way for tycoons, sports stars and celebrities to enter parliament. Ukraine abolished single constituencies for elections in 2006 but they were restored in 2011.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
POPULAR