Constitutional reform is possible after solving main issues and holding referendum – Zelenskyy

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that constitutional reform in Ukraine can be carried out after solving all the current main issues and only after holding a referendum. 

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with Nataliia Moseichuk, as broadcast on the national joint 24/7 newscast 

Details: The host asked if Zelenskyy was thinking about a constitutional reform – about strengthening presidential or parliament authority or abolishing the presidency institution altogether. 

Quote from Zelenskyy: "I am not sure that I will still be the president of Ukraine by then. But nevertheless – if I were to raise the issue of changing the Constitution, I would do it only because of public support. 

Society has one tool - a referendum. This is normal."

Details: The president noted that there is relevant legislation for the referendum. 

"To hold a referendum in the state and look at this issue – only after we have closed all other urgent, priority issues – is probably okay. The referendum provides an opportunity for public discussion," Zelenskyy explained.

Details: He added that, fortunately, Ukraine does not have many options to choose from: to leave the parliamentary-presidential republic or to change to a presidential-parliamentary, parliamentary, or presidential republic. 

Zelenskyy also explained that at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he assumed many powers that were assigned to other branches of government because then there was some chaos, and many people were not in place.

Quote from Zelenskyy: "You have to look at the full picture. And it is correct that I took authority, because most of the people were nowhere to be found – they all went somewhere. Now they say it was for business, for work. But then everything was very simple – there were the people who were sitting in the room. There were no other people in the state administration. They were there – yes, I'm not talking about the local government – so we did what we had to do."

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