“According to the submitted application and in accordance with Part 3 of Article 60 of the regulations of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, I inform about the entry of People’s Deputy of Ukraine Nikolai Nikolaevich Tishchenko into the parliamentary group “Restoration of Ukraine” in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the ninth convocation,” announced the chairman of the meeting.
In May 2022, the group was created by 17 former deputies of the faction of the banned party OPZZH. Later it included representatives of “Doverie” and non-factional representatives of “SN” in the Rada.
Later, deputy Roman Lozinsky, during a speech, said that Tishchenko “saved” the group, which was on the verge of dissolution due to the verdict of people’s deputy Anatoly Gunko, who was sentenced on February 9 to four years in prison for illegally receiving $85 thousand. After the verdict, Gunko was deprived of his parliamentary powers, and without him, the group was left with 16 deputies, with the minimum required 17.
“This week there was a deputy group in our parliament, which consisted of a smaller number of deputies, which Tishchenko has now saved from dissolution. Tell me, on what basis until today, from the moment of the court’s decision, did this group exist and was not dissolved in parliament?” he addressed the presidium.
Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk replied that Gunko formally remains a parliamentarian, since documents from the court have not yet been received by the Rada. Once this happens, Gunko will lose his mandate.
