The draft Electoral Code adopted by the Verkhovna Rada (No. 3112-1) does not envisage a number of innovations prescribed in the current legislation on elections, the Ukrainian president's representative in parliament, Iryna Lutsenko, has said, proposing the creation of a working group on preparing the document for second reading.

"The election bill, which was supported by parliament today, lags behind those norms that have already updated our legislation, starting with the law on local elections, the law on local self-government, in particular, the creation of territorial communities and the institute of elders," she said at a briefing in parliament on Tuesday.

Lutsenko noted that the work on preparing the bill for second reading would require a large number of amendments.

"I don't know if the shortened procedure for which the deputies voted can resolve the issue of introducing such a huge number of changes," she added.

She also said that the draft Electoral Code proposes introducing changes in the procedure for presidential elections, which "has nothing to do with the system of elections to the Verkhovna Rada." She said it was expedient to create a working group on amendments that would bring the text of the draft law into line with the prescribed innovations in the current legislation.

"Such a working group should allow people's deputies to consider this draft law under a shortened regime," Lutsenko said.

According to the website of the Verkhovna Rada, the draft Electoral Code of Ukraine submitted by a group of people's deputies, headed by Parliament Speaker Andriy Parubiy, was registered in October 2015. On Tuesday, November 7, 226 MPs approved the document at first reading.