A law granting special status to parts of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk was first introduced by Kiev in the fall of 2014 after the first round of reconciliation talks in Minsk, however, it was quickly canceled. The latest Minsk deal also stipulated Donbas receiving special status as part of a constitutional reform on the decentralization of power in Ukraine.
“Articles 2-9 of the current Law [on special status of local authorities in eastern Ukraine] will be enacted from the date of receiving authority by the organs of the local self-governing bodies in the individual regions of Donetsk and Luhansk that will be elected in snap elections held in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine,” the document introduced to the Verkhovna Rada reads.
Members of Ukraine’s parliament plan to review the status of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s republics this week, according to the Verkhovna Rada’s official website.
Poroshenko signed a decree to establish a commission to amend the country's constitution earlier in March.
