The Opposition Platform for Life faction is no longer in parliament. But this does not mean that there are no former deputies of the Opposition Platform for Life in Parliament. Such processes continue in local councils: the OPPLJ factions are disintegrating, and the same deputies form new deputy groups or associations.

Naturally, each of us would like these figures, who for years worked for the pro-Russian policy and were preparing to hand over the country to the invaders, disappear from the political map of the country both at the national and local levels.

Why does the ban on parties not work?

Nobody banned the “Party of Regions”. This political brand, after the executions of civilians on the Maidan and the flight of Yanukovych from the country, simply had a zero rating. And then the former members of the Regions created new political projects – the Opposition Platform for Life, Opobloc, and then other pro-Russian forces, the Party of Shariy, etc. grew up. And they did everything so that those who supported the Party of Regions ate that the most expired and harmful “candy”, only in a new wrapper.

The National Security and Defense Council has already announced that a number of parties are banned, and Rukh HONESTLY calculated which councils would be left without a significant number of deputies if their powers were taken away.

This, in essence, is the east and south of the country, where military administrations are now in charge.

But the ban on cash parties will not prevent these pro-Russian politicians from creating or buying a new political party and running for councils at all levels under a new banner.

What to do?

Ukraine is a democratic and legal state. First of all, we must understand that only a court verdict can deprive a citizen of the right to run.

The process of bringing a politician to justice is quite lengthy, and, as experience shows, law enforcement officers can collect hundreds of cases against state traitors for years, but it does not always work out to bring them to court. Since the Revolution of Dignity, the Office of the Prosecutor General has brought to court only 18% of cases brought under Art. 111 “Treason”.

In order for a case to go to court, the investigation must have a strong evidence base. Only then will the prosecutor prepare the state prosecution. But even if there is evidence, then going to the courts and getting a court decision in the struggle is a very long process that can drag on for years.

For example, state traitor Oleg Tsarev even submitted his candidacy for the post of President of Ukraine in 2014, and he was convicted only in 2022. Therefore, we really need to complete the judicial reform and take care of the quality work of the law enforcement system.

Therefore, it is quite possible that in the next elections, which will be held in Ukraine after the victory over the invader, state traitors and collaborators will not yet be convicted. And history knows interesting cases. So, the presidential candidate Vladimir Petrov, who was involved in the case of a sex scandal, the court replaced the round-the-clock arrest with a night one, which allowed him to campaign. That is, even if someone is under investigation, and there is no court verdict, we cannot limit the right to run for office and campaign.

Accordingly, the main thing to rely on is the political culture of the voters. That is, the political culture of each of us. Everyone should understand what price we pay for deciding how we will govern our land. In 2014, after the parliamentary elections, it was surprising to see repainted “regionals” in parliament. And we have no right to make mistakes again during the elections, turning the shot Mariupol, tortured by Bucha or Irpen.

That is why Rukh keeps the Register of State Counselors. We collect information about every traitor and collaborator so that it does not disappear from political memory and everyone knows what these people did against our sovereignty, territorial integrity and who collaborated with the enemy.

Of course, we will monitor how the cases against state traitors and collaborators are progressing in the courts. In such cases as the case of Anatoly Shariy, law enforcement officers do not have the right to make a mistake. The extradition request must be in a Spanish court before the judge releases Shariy on bail.

Therefore, in order to prevent the reincarnation of the Opposition Platform for Life, two things are needed: high-quality judicial reform and conscious voters.