Ukrainian parliament doesn't have enough votes to ban Moscow-linked church – Speaker

Ruslan Stefanchuk, the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament), has expressed doubt that draft laws banning the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) will secure the 226 votes required in parliament if put to the vote.

Source: Stefanchuk in an interview with Radio Svoboda (Liberty)

Quote from Stefanchuk: "A parliament is a mechanism that makes decisions collectively. And it seems to me that there are not yet 226 votes around such an important legislative act. It is simply ridiculous, and both legally and politically irresponsible, to put it [the banning of the UOC-MP – ed.] to the vote only for it to fail, to Russia’s satisfaction."

Details: Stefanchuk added that he would like to believe that those 226 votes will be seen, but that "there is an internal debate going on right now not only within the Servant of the People party, but also within other parties that see themselves as very patriotic".

Stefanchuk said this in response to a question about why draft laws banning the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine are not being put to the vote.

Background: Metropolitan Onufrii (legal name Orest Berezovskyi) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) has Russian citizenship, as have over 20 other clergymen.

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