The building of the Kharkiv City Council was under heavy guard. Today, November 18, there passed the first session of the Kharkiv City Council of the VII convocation. About 100 law enforcement officers guarded the entrance.
Activists organized peaceful protest. The rally began with a performance of the national anthem (activist of “Gromadska Varta” Valentin Bystrichenko was singing into a microphone, while others sang along). They brought flags of Ukraine, battalion “Azov”, “Right Sector” and “Gromadska Varta”. Protesters sat Kernes’ doll in a cage and put it in front of the City Hall.
Valentin Bystrichenko said: “We must go to the city council. We have registered the action according to the law. Let’s not hold the hustle and disturbances”.
Activists demanded to hold hearings on decommunization and to include members of the public in the executive committee of the City Council, to reduce the number of employees of the City Council, to appoint the secretary of the city council representative of the party, who took second place in the elections. But This position again took Alexander Novak. In the secret ballot, the candidacy of Alexander Novak was supported by 68 deputies out of 69 voted. The fraction of the party “Samopomich” refused to participate in the vote. Novak’s official biography is available here.
At this session Gennadiy Kernes took the oath and officially began his second mayor cadence. The second part of the meeting will be held on November 20. It is dedicated the execution of the law on de-communization.
