The representative of the Ukrainian president in the Verkhovna Rada, Yuriy Miroshnychenko, hopes that the parliament would cancel the passing of the bill on slander before the elections.

"I hope it will," Miroshnychenko said in an interview with Channel 5 on Thursday in the evening, when asked whether the parliament would cancel the bill by October 28.

"I hope this will be carried out next Tuesday," he added.

Miroshnychenko also said that he never supported the bill. At the same time, he confirmed that his voting card voted for the document at first reading.

"My voting card really voted. We found out later that it was a mistaken voting and, unfortunately, I was absent at that moment, I was at a meeting, I was not in the session hall, and the card really voted," Miroshnychenko said.

As reported, the author of the slander bill, Regions Party parliamentary faction MP Vitaliy Zhuravsky registered at the parliament a draft instruction on the cancellation of a decision by the Verkhovna Rada to pass at first reading the bill on amendments to the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine on toughening punishments for the infringement of the honor, dignity and business reputation of a person.

The parliament passed the slander bill at first reading on September 18, 2012.