Permanent “winter time”: Zelensky does not plan to sign the law - media
Kyiv • UNN
The President of Ukraine does not intend to sign a law abolishing seasonal daylight saving time. Sources say this decision is due to possible economic losses and petitions from citizens.
On the night of Sunday, October 27, Ukraine will switch to winter time - clocks will be set back one hour. This was supposed to be the last time, as in July the Verkhovna Rada supported a bill that abolished further changes.
However, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not yet signed it - and, according to BBC sources, does not plan to do so, UNN reports.
The draft law on timekeeping in Ukraine No. 4201, which abolishes seasonal clocks, was passed in the second reading on July 16.
According to it, on the last Sunday of October, Ukraine will switch to winter time for the last time and should stay there. Subsequently, the bill was signed by the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, and on August 21, it was sent to the President for signature. However, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has not signed it yet.
A source in the presidential team told BBC Ukraine that the law will not be signed.
The president does not plan to sign
And the deadline for vetoing the law has already passed.
Another source in the presidential faction also assured that there would be no signature. “The speaker is against it, it's his idea, so in order not to offend him, there will be no veto, but there will be no signature,” the source in the Rada said. According to him, everything has been calculated and the disadvantages for the economy have been seen - “losses of several billion have been calculated.
The interlocutor added to the arguments against signing the law petitions such as “don't steal our evenings” that Ukrainians have been signing.
Addendum Addendum
After the adoption of draft law No. 4201, MP Oleksiy Honcharenko introduced a resolutionblocking its signing. However, in August of this year, the Rada rejected the blocking resolution to cancel the time change.
As a result, in September, a bill to abolish daylight saving time in Ukraine was submitted to the president for his signature. In October, a petition to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asking him to veto Bill No. 4201, which provides for the abolition of daylight saving time, received the 25,000 votes needed for consideration.
Oleksiy Honcharenko, explaining the need to veto draft law No. 4201, which provides for the abolition of daylight saving time, said that this decision would not be useful in saving electricity, especially given the lost capacity and constant attacks on the power system by Russia.
This will result in higher electricity costs for consumers and businesses in the evening hours in spring, summer and fall. At the same time, Ukraine will have a two-hour difference with Europe due to “winter time,” which will significantly affect the effectiveness of cooperation with partners.
