Ukrainian lawmakers voted Wednesday to give the public access to officials’ financial statements. AFP draws attention to the fact that President Vladimir Zelensky has repeatedly promised to eradicate corruption in the country as part of the reforms necessary for Ukraine to join Western international organizations, primarily the EU.
Zelensky said last week that electronic financial statements should be made available to the public “immediately,” Voice of America reported.
His call came after a petition with more than 80,000 signatures was collected calling for a veto of a law that would block access to government officials’ financial statements for another year.
The human rights organization Anti-Corruption Center said that the vote in parliament took place due to public pressure. In Ukraine, 80,000 signatures have been collected on a petition against the adoption of a law allowing officials not to disclose their financial declarations for another year.
According to a July poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, 89% of Ukrainians consider corruption a serious problem, second only to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.
