The Ukraine Rada (parliament) is considering the possibility of adopting the legislator attendance system used by Israel’s Knesset.
A delegation of senior Ukrainian parliament arrived last week for a seminar at the Knesset in Israel, and encountered the “MK Attendance Board” – the manner in which the Jewish State handles the issue of dealing with low attendance.
After delegation members told their hosts that it is hard to tell whether a member of the Rada is present in the house or not, they were briefed on the Knesset method and its work.
All this, while attending a seminar during which they met with Ronen Plot, Knesset’s director-general, who introduced them to the “Green Knesset” initiative.
The attendance board is displayed in the Knesset house at the entrance to the discussion hall, as well as in the Knesset website. The board shows the photos of all members along with their names. When an MK is attending discussions in the house, his or her photo and name are lit with colors, while the photo of those absent appear in black and white. The board is updated using the information given by Knesset ushers stationed at the entrances to the building.
The Ukrainian delegation included, among others, Ukrainian Rada Vice President Vladimir Slishinski and the Rada Deputy Director General Vladimir Bondarenko. The delegation was led by Israel’s honorary consul in Ukraine, Oleg Vishnyakov, who has actively promoted relations between the two countries.