History of the People’s Council of the Donetsk People’s Republic
On November 2, 2014, at the same time with the election of the Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, elections to the People’s Council of the Donetsk People’s Republic of the first convocation were held. Two public movements took part in the election campaign: Donetsk Republic and Free Donbass (Svobodny Donbass).
On November 3, 2014, Chairman of the DPR Central Election Commission Roman Viktorovich Lyagin announced the results of the election of deputies to the People’s Council in percentage terms. The results were as follows: the Donetsk Republic Public Movement won 64,43% of the votes, and the Free Donbass Public Movement – 27,75%. The DPR People’s Council was elected for a four-year period, comprising 100 deputies, of whom 68 deputy mandates belonged to the Donetsk Republic public movement, and 32 mandates – to the Free Donbass Public Movement.
On the expiry of a 11-day period since the announcement of the election results, the first Plenary meeting of the DPR People’s Council of the first convocation was held in the Government House of the Donetsk People’s Republic.
The Presiding Board was composed of the Head of the DPR, Alexander Vladimirovich Zakharchenko, the Head of the Interim Coordinating Committee of the DPR People’s Council, Denis Vladimirovich Pushilin, the Chairman of the DPR Central Election Commission, Roman Viktorovich Lyagin, as well as deputies Andrei Evgenievich Purgin and Alexander Viktorovich Malkov.
The objective of the significant event was to form and install in office the legitimate Parliament of the Donetsk People’s Republic. In the course of the meeting on November 14, 2014, the Chairman of the DPR People’s Council was elected. Andrei Yevgenievich Purgin assumed the office, and Denis Vladimirovich Pushilin was appointed by universal suffrage as Deputy Chairman of the DPR People’s Council of the first convocation. At the end of the Plenary meeting, the deputies made a joint statement, addressing their constituents.
On November 28, 2014, at the second plenary meeting of the DPR People’s Council of the first convocation, the deputies solemnly pledge allegiance to the Donetsk People’s Republic, in particular, vowed to “stand guard over the people.” The text of the oath was unanimously adopted at the same meeting.
In the People’s Council there have been established 16 Committees which are working on bills within their field of competence. The People’s Council Committees hold weekly scheduled working meetings, to which representatives of ministries and departments of the Donetsk People’s Republic, as well as relevant experts, are invited whenever necessary.
Since taking office, the DPR People’s Council of the first convocation has drafted and adopted a number of important Laws.