Zelensky signs bill on presidential impeachment

President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a bill creating the procedure to impeach a president into law on Sept. 23.

Previously, it was unclear whether the president could actually be removed from office under Ukrainian legislation.

The impeachment law was one of Zelensky’s campaign promises to Ukrainian voters. He submitted the bill to parliament on Aug. 29.

On Sept. 10, Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed the draft law on presidential impeachment with 245 lawmakers voting in favor. Additionally, 270 lawmakers voted to consider the bill under a simplified procedure and 337 voted for the draft law in its first reading.

According to the text of the law, the country’s president can be dismissed through impeachment proceedings should he or she commit “high treason or other felonies.”

In order to start impeachment proceedings, the majority of lawmakers must vote to launch a special provisional investigatory commission.

After Zelensky signed the bill, he also posted a video on his official Instagram profile where he urged Ukrainians to “live in accordance with the law,” pay taxes and stop corruption.

“I am starting with myself and signing the law on presidential impeachment that was adopted by the parliament,” Zelensky said in the video.