January13, 2012 the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Resolution “On Andriy Shevchenko withdrawal from the officeof the Head of the Committee of Freedom of Speech andInformation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, № 4332-VI “due to unsatisfactorywork at that position.”

The explanatory note to the draft resolutionsubmitted by the MP Olena Bondarenko statedthat on December 22, 2011 at a meeting of the Committee it was decidedto express distrust in its Head Andriy Shevchenkoand to recommend Verkhovna Rada to recall him fromoffice because of unsatisfactory work as theHeadof the Committee of Freedom of Speech and Information of the Verkhovna Rada ofUkraine. The decision was taken because on 17and 18 November 2011, and on 1, 7, 14 and 21December 2011 there were no scheduled meetings of the Committee and the Headallegedly violated several provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On Committeesof Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.”

245MPs from the Party of Regions, Communist Party and the NarodnaParty voted for the decision of withdrawal.

Thesame day, MP Andriy Kozhemyakin registered the Draft ofthe Resolution”On Amending Resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine” On Electionof Chairmen, First Vice-Chairmen, Secretaries and members of committees of theVerkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the sixth convocation and election of Chairman,First Deputy, Vice-chairman, secretary and members of the OversightCommittee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Privatization” (oncandidate MP Andriy Shevchenko), №9703.Author notes that “againstthe Rules, for political reasons,Andriy Shevchenkois withdrawn from the office of the Head of theParliamentary Committee of Freedom of Speech andInformationby the decision of pro-governmentalmajority”, and adds that “thestatement of the Head of the Party of Regions Yefremov,which is delivered in the assembly hall of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine thesame day and addressed to the parliamentaryminority, only confirms once again the political motives of resignation fromthe post of the Head of the Committee AndriyShevchenko”.

Thusthe author proposes to elect Andriy Shevchenko – the deputy of Ukraine ofmulti-mandatory national constituency, The Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc, the fraction”The Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc – Batkivschyna”, as the Headof the Committee of Freedom of Speech and Information of the Verkhovna Rada ofUkraine.