Zelenskyy promises new bill to strenghthen rule of law as anti-corruption protests continue for second day

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his government is planning to introduce a new bill to strengthen the rule of law, a day after he signed a controversial bill weakening the country’s anti-corruption bodies, triggering wide-scale protests in Kyiv.

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets for a second day to protest against crippling corruption within the Ukrainian government, as the war continues to batter the country. The Parliamentary approval of the contentious bill has drawn the attention of European leaders who have expressed concerns over Zelenskyy’s decision.

“We all hear what society says. We see what people expect from state institutions to ensure justice and the efficiency of each institution,” the president said.

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On Tuesday, Ukraine’s Parliament, Verkhovna Rada, approved a contentious legislation that significantly undermines the autonomy of the country’s key anti-corruption bodies, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.

The development comes at a time when Zelenskyy’s critics are saying that  Ukraine is slipping into authoritarianism as the government ignores corruption and malpractices within the system due to the long-drawn-out war.

What is the new bill?

In order to assuage public opinion on his previous actions, Zelenskyy said that the new bill would guarantee the independence of anti-corruption institutions and ensure there was “no Russian influence”.

“Of course, everyone has heard what people are saying these days – on social media, to each other, on the streets. It’s not falling on deaf ears,” the president added.

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But the apparent concession failed to satisfy protesters, who noted that Zelenskyy has not agreed to remove the most controversial elements of Tuesday’s bill. They also pointed out that the Verkhovna Rada is now on summer recess.

Zelenskyy defends bill

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has not shown any signs of repealing the previous bill and instead defended the move by saying it was necessary to clean up Ukraine’s “anti-corruption infrastructure” due to alleged Russian connections.

The weakening of the anti-corruption bodies will grant sweeping powers to Ukraine’s prosecutor general, leaving it to the government’s discretion which cases are pursued and which are slid under the carpet.