The Verkhovna Rada failed to appoint judges to the Constitutional Court: the monomajority lacked the votes
Ukraine's European integration is in question
Analysts from the DEJURE Foundation note that Ukraine currently appears unable to fulfill its own promises. After all, the reform of the Constitutional Court is the first of seven requirements that Ukraine received in order to maintain its candidate status and open negotiations on joining the EU.
“The Verkhovna Rada has been delaying the appointment of judges to these two vacant positions in the Constitutional Court of Ukraine for 8 months. Now, after the failure of the vote, the process must be started again from scratch: announce a competition and involve an Advisory Group of Experts. And what’s worse, such irresponsibility discourages honest lawyers from participating in open competitions. After all, why waste time and effort if even after an honest victory you simply won’t be appointed? Obviously, the politicians’ calculation is to get, instead of independent, managed candidates in the future. Leaving the Constitutional Court on the verge of a quorum is to undermine both the trust of citizens and the European perspective of the state. After all, the Constitutional Court is key to any reforms and ensuring the rule of law in Ukraine,” the DEJURE statement says.
People's deputies cannot help but understand the importance of the issue. Therefore, the failure of the vote may become a symptom of the final collapse of the monomajority, and therefore, problems with making important decisions in the Verkhovna Rada will increase.
Why the Constitutional Court cannot work
In August 2023, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law on changing the procedure for selecting judges of the Constitutional Court. It is necessary to fulfill the European Commission's criteria on Ukraine's path to EU membership. In May 2024, the Rada appointed the first judge of the Constitutional Court through competitive selection. He was Serhiy Riznyk, who won the rating vote.
Since January 27, 2025, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine has not had the necessary quorum to make decisions. On that day, the nine-year term of office of three judges expired, after which only 11 judges out of the 18 required remained in the Constitutional Court of Ukraine. The presence of at least 12 judges is required for the court to function. In total, seven positions remained vacant. In June 2025, President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Oleksandr Vodyannikov to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, and in September – Yuliy Barabash.
Thus, there is currently one more vacant position of judge of the Constitutional Court under the presidential quota, and the Verkhovna Rada has still not filled its two vacancies.
