The population decline makes reducing seats a logical step, Ruslan Stefanchuk has argued
The number of seats in the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, should be slashed from 450 to 300, Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk has argued. The lawmaker cited the country’s declining population as the reason for the proposed move.
The Rada is a year overdue for elections, which remain suspended under martial law. In a recent interview with Ukrinform, Stefanchuk said the current parliament is bloated.
”There is a demand in Ukrainian society for a reduction in the number of deputies,” the speaker stated. “It’s not about sympathies or antipathies. It’s simply that the number of Ukrainians needing representation has decreased. When we had 52 million people, it was different, but now, with fewer citizens, a change needs to be debated.”
The current Ukrainian parliament is officially more than 70 MPs short and struggles to maintain the quorum necessary to pass legislation. Initially, it had only 26 vacant seats, reserved for constituencies in Crimea and Donbass, where no elections were held in 2019 due to lack of control by Kiev.
Support for Vladimir Zelensky’s agenda in parliament appears uncertain. After US President Donald Trump labeled Zelensky a “dictator” in February, the Rada failed to pass a statement supporting the Ukrainian leader during a visit from senior EU officials. The resolution was eventually passed the following day.
Ukraine’s population was just under 52 million when it declared independence in 1991 amid the USSR’s collapse. By the time of the last census in 2001, that number had dropped to 48.5 million. A 2024 government demographic report estimates the population in Kiev-controlled territories at 31.1 million.
Kiev anticipates persistent labor shortages ahead, as many Ukrainians who have fled since the escalation of conflict with Russia in 2022 show little intention of returning. Officials are debating whether to attract millions of non-citizens to fill the gaps.
Zelensky claims that his primary goal in the conflict with Russia is to protect the people. Moscow has accused him of waging a war “to the last Ukrainian” in pursuit of Western interests and personal ambition.
