Ukraine’s Zelensky proposes new anti-corruption bill after controversy
The declaration bows to public pressure on Zelensky amid protests, marking the first significant anti-government demonstrations since Russia’s invasion
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he’s sending a new anti-corruption bill to Ukraine’s Parliament on Thursday, in a further attempt to defuse tensions after he approved changes to corruption laws that brought a public outcry and sharp criticism from the European Union.
Opponents of the contentious law passed by lawmakers and approved by Zelensky earlier this week said that it stripped Ukraine’s anti-corruption watchdogs of their independence by granting the government more oversight of their work.
Zelensky said that it was needed to speed up investigations, ensure more convictions and remove “Russian influence” from the fight against corruption, though he didn’t provide examples of Russian meddling.
In an abrupt change of course on Thursday, Zelensky unexpectedly said that he had drawn up a new draft bill on corruption that “guarantees the real strengthening of the law and order system in Ukraine”.
“The most important thing is real tools, no Russian connections, and the independence of the [watchdogs],” he said in a Telegram post.
The declaration appeared to bow to recent pressure that threatened to undermine public trust in Ukraine’s leaders after more than three years of fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion. The protests haven’t called for Zelensky’s ouster, but they are the first major anti-government demonstrations since the war began.