Temporary Suspension of the Public Officials by the President of Ukraine: The Established Practice and New Challenges

This article analyzes the provisions of the Law of Ukraine On the Legal Regime of Martial Law, adopted after the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine’s territory. The author proves that the second clause of Article 11 of the mentioned law, granting the President of Ukraine powers to suspend public officials during martial law, contradicts the Constitution of Ukraine, whereas the latter has not vested such powers with the President of Ukraine. The author compares the suspension and the dismissal of a public official from the office and proves that the newly adopted provision contradicts the very nature and purpose of martial law. In the article, the author analyses a list of public officials to whom the adopted provision applies and argues that the only purpose the latter was adopted is to allow the President of Ukraine to dismiss public officials from their offices without proper legal grounds and the approval of others state authorities as required by the Constitution.