Aleksandr Kuzmuk and Anatoly Gritsenko

Former Defense Minister of Ukraine Oleksandr Kuzmuk, left, and lawmaker from the OU-PSD faction Anatoly Hrytsenko, right, in the session hall of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine , in Kyiv, on Thursday, May 21, 2009. This day the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine overcame a veto of the President of Ukraine on the Law of Ukraine “On Introducing Amendments into some Legislative Acts of Ukraine concerning offset of debt before the Pensionary Fund of Ukraine and strengthening of responsibility for violation of legislation in the sphere of compulsory state retirement insurance”. 396 out of 433 lawmakers registered in the session hall voted for overcoming the veto. The President noted that a Law “On Introducing Amendments into some Legislative Acts of Ukraine concerning offset of debt before the Pensionary Fund of Ukraine and strengthening of responsibility for violation of legislation in the sphere of compulsory state retirement insurance” adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on March 5, 2009, can not be signed because of some reasons. According to opinion of the head of the state, amendments in the law will lead to weakening of discipline in payment of insurance contributions and this will lead to decreasing of inpayments into the Pensionary Fund, and this can lead to debts on payment pensions to citizens in conditions when its budget is be subsidized by the state. Photo by Aleksandr Kosarev /UNIAN