Ukraine's new president Zelensky suffers defeat in parliament as speaker warns of constitutional crisis

Few had expected such a bold move from newly elected president so early

Speaker Andriy Paruby said Mr Zelensky's plans for snap elections risked a crisis (AFP/Getty Images)

Just two days into his new job, Volodymr Zelensky has suffered a heavy defeat in parliament, with legislators voting against his plans to hold snap elections.

The 226-92 split looks to set the tone for an ongoing conflict between the new president and the Supreme Rada in the weeks to come.

In his inauguration speech on Monday, Mr Zelensky announced that he would be dissolving parliament to hold snap elections in July.

Few had expected such a bold move so early, especially since there was at the very least a legal argument to be had over whether he had the powers to do so.

On Wednesday, the new president upped the ante, proposing fundamental changes to electoral law. In a draft bill that was defeated before it reached the floor, Mr Zelensky suggested reducing the voting threshold and removing first-past-the-post voting. (Ukraine has a mixed first-past-the-post and proportional voting system.)

Team Zelensky said the move was designed to encourage smaller parties into parliament. Critics wondered whether it was not more about driving home his numerical advantage.

In Wednesday’s extraordinary parliament session, called to discuss the draft legislation, speaker Andriy Paruby condemned Mr Zelensky’s "worrying" plans. He also said that his intention to disband parliament ran contrary to the constitution, and would be appealed.

In earlier comments on Facebook, he said that Mr Zelensky's first moves were a "bad sign:" “It is sad and worrying that the guarantor of the constitution has begun his job with such a gross violation of the constitution."

While Mr Paruby is closely associated with the outgoing administration, criticism came from less tribal quarters too. The head of the Central Election Committee Tatyana Slipachuk, for example, said that changing election law less than 12 months away from an election was bad practice. Moreover, it was “explicitly discouraged by the OSCE.”

But with the public and political momentum on his side, it seems unlikely that Mr Zelensky will be denied his wish to call elections in July. However today’s hitch means it is probable those elections will now take place under old rules, i.e. a mixed system.

Mr Zelensky’s new representative in parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, said the former showman would not be discouraged by the setback.

“We have a few plans, but they depended on what reaction we’d get from the Supreme Rada,” he said. “We got our reaction, and will build our tactics according to plans A, B or C, which we have ready.”