Politics of Ukraine

Politics of Ukraine
Constitution Human rights
Presidency President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Office of the President National Security and Defence Council Presidential representatives Presidential symbols
Executive Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal Cabinet Shmyhal Government
Legislature Verkhovna Rada (parliament) Chairman: Ruslan Stefanchuk Committees People's Deputy of Ukraine Imperative mandate
Judiciary Constitutional Court Supreme Court Prosecutor General
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Foreign relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs Minister: Dmytro Kuleba Diplomatic missions of / in Ukraine Nationality law Passport Visa requirements Visa policy International membership CIS GUAM Ukraine–European Union relations Ukraine–NATO relations Countries Transnistria United Kingdom United States International organizations CIS European Union GUAM NATO Diplomatic missions of Ukraine in Ukraine
See also Ukrainian nationalism Declaration of Independence Proclamation of Independence Cassette Scandal Ukraine without Kuchma Orange Revolution Russia–Ukraine gas disputes Universal of National Unity Political crises of 2006 2007 2008 Kharkiv Pact Annexation of Crimea by Russia 2022 Russian invasion
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The politics of Ukraine take place in a framework of a

The widely condemned Russian annexations of Crimea in 2014, and of Donetsk and Luhansk in 2022 have complicated the de facto political situation associated with those areas.

Constitution and fundamental freedoms

Shortly after becoming

The Constitution was amended in December 2004

The Constitutional Court of Ukraine in October 2010 overturned the 2004 amendments, considering them unconstitutional.^[2] The present valid Constitution of Ukraine is therefore the 1996 text. On November 18, 2010, The Venice Commission published its report titled The Opinion of the Constitutional Situation in Ukraine in Review of the Judgement of Ukraine's Constitutional Court, in which it stated "It also considers highly unusual that far-reaching constitutional amendments, including the change of the political system of the country - from a parliamentary system to a parliamentary presidential one - are declared unconstitutional by a decision of the Constitutional Court after a period of 6 years. ... As Constitutional Courts are bound by the Constitution and do not stand above it, such decisions raise important questions of democratic legitimacy and the rule of law".^[3]

On February 21, 2014, the parliament passed a law that reinstated the December 8, 2004 amendments of the constitution.

Freedom of religion is guaranteed by law, although religious organizations are required to register with local authorities and with the central government. The Article 35 of the Constitution defines that no religion could be recognized by the state as mandatory, while church and religious organizations in Ukraine are separated from the state.

Minority rights are respected in accordance with a 1991 law guaranteeing ethnic minorities the right to

Official labor unions have been grouped under the Federation of Labor Unions. A number of independent unions, which emerged in 1992, among them the Independent Union of Miners of Ukraine, have formed the Consultative Council of Free Labor Unions. While the right to strike is legally guaranteed, strikes based solely on political demands are prohibited.

Executive branch

The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term.^[7] The president nominates the prime minister, who must be confirmed by parliament. The prime minister and cabinet are de jure appointed by the Parliament on submission of the president and prime minister, respectively. Pursuant to Article 114 of the Constitution of Ukraine.

Legislative branch

The

The Verkhovna Rada initiates legislation, ratifies international agreements, and approves the budget.

Political parties and elections

Ukrainian parties tend not to have clear-cut ideologies

Judicial branch

constitutional jurisdiction:

• the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.

general jurisdiction:

Laws, acts of the parliament and the Cabinet, presidential edicts, and acts of the Crimean parliament (Autonomous Republic of Crimea) may be nullified by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine when they are found to violate the Constitution of Ukraine. Other normative acts are subject to judicial review. The Supreme Court of Ukraine is the main body in the system of courts of general jurisdiction.

The Constitution of Ukraine provides for trials by jury. This has not yet been implemented in practice. Moreover, some courts provided for by legislation as still in project, as is the case for, e.g., the Court of Appeals of Ukraine. The reform of the judicial branch is presently underway. Important is also the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, granted the broad rights of control and supervision.

Administrative divisions

In 1992, a number of pro-Russian political organizations in

On 18 March 2014, Russia and the new, self-proclaimed Republic of Crimea signed a treaty of accession of the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol in the Russian Federation. In response, the UN General Assembly passed non-binding resolution 68/262 declaring the referendum invalid and officially supporting Ukraine's claim to Crimea. Although Russia administers the peninsula as two federal subjects, Ukraine and the majority of countries do not recognise Russia's annexation.^[28][29]

Foreign relations

See also

• List of Ukrainian politicians
• Declaration of Independence
• Proclamation of Independence
• Corruption in Ukraine
• Cassette Scandal
• Ukraine without Kuchma
• Orange Revolution
• Russia-Ukraine gas dispute
• Universal of National Unity
• 2007 Ukrainian political crisis
• Ukraine–European Union relations
• Ukraine–NATO relations
• Ukrainian nationalism

to facilitate administrative reform in Ukraine and to enhance the adaptation of the civil service to the standards of the European Union.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Politics of Ukraine.

• Ukraine: State of Chaos
• Short film: AEGEE Election Observation Mission
• Kupatadze, Alexander: "Similar Events, Different Outcomes: Accounting for Diverging Corruption Patterns in Post-Revolution Georgia and Ukraine" in the Caucasus Analytical Digest No. 26

References

1. ^ Laws of Ukraine. Verkhovna Rada decree No. 2222-IV: About the amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine. Adopted on 2004-12-08. (Ukrainian)
2. ^ Update: Return to 1996 Constitution strengthens president, raises legal questions, Kyiv Post (October 1, 2010)
3. ^ Opinion on the constitutional situation in Ukraine dated December 20, 2010 - Source Venice Commission http://www.venice.coe.int/WebForms/documents/?pdf=CDL-AD(2010)044-e
4. ^ ^{a b c} Ukrainian parliament reinstates 2004 Constitution, Interfax-Ukraine (21 February 2014)
5. ^ Sindelar, Daisy (February 23, 2014). "Was Yanukovych's Ouster Constitutional?". Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty (Rferl.org). Retrieved February 25, 2014. Yanukovych, however, failed to sign the measure.
6. ^ "Over half of Ukrainians feel political censorship - Oct. 09, 2010". 9 October 2010.
7. ^ "New Ukrainian president will be elected for 5-year term – Constitutional Court". Interfax-Ukraine. 16 May 2014. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
8. ISBN 978-90-5629-631-5
   (page 82)
9. openDemocracy.net
   (January 3, 2011)
10. ISBN 978-1-84511-035-2
    (page 45)
11. ^ State-Building:A Comparative Study of Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, and Russia by Verena Fritz,
    ISBN 978-963-7326-99-8
    (page 189)
12. ISBN 978-1-56324-676-0
    (page 829)
13. ISBN 978-1-85567-465-3
    (page 36)
14. ^ How Ukraine Became a Market Economy and Democracy by
    ISBN 978-0-88132-427-3
15. ISBN 978-0-8157-7159-3
    (page 146)
16. ISBN 978-3-525-36912-8
    (page 383 and 396)
17. ^ The Crisis of Russian Democracy:The Dual State, Factionalism and the Medvedev Succession by
    ISBN 978-0-521-14522-0
    (page 110)
18. ISBN 978-0-7546-4334-0
    (page 129)
19. ^ Ukraine:Challenges of the Continuing Transition Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine, National Intelligence Council (Conference Report August 1999)
20. ISBN 978-0-7656-1811-5
    (page 189)
21. ^ Former German Ambassador Studemann views superiority of personality factor as fundamental defect of Ukrainian politics, Kyiv Post (December 21, 2009)
22. European Union Democracy Observatory
23. ^ Ukraine: Comprehensive Partnership for a Real Democracy, Center for International Private Enterprise, 2010
24. ^ Poll: Ukrainians unhappy with domestic economic situation, their own lives, Kyiv Post (September 12, 2011)
25. ^ "The Politics of Regionalism". Eurasia Review. Archived from the original on 5 August 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
26. ^ "Russian Roulette: The Invasion of Ukraine (Dispatch One)". vicenews.com. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
27. ^ "Official results: 97 percent of Crimea voters back joining Russia". cbsnews.com. 17 March 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
28. ^ Alex Felton; Marie-Louise Gumuchian (27 March 2014). "U.N. General Assembly resolution calls Crimean referendum invalid". cnn.com. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
29. ^ Michel, Casey, [one-year-after-russias-annexation-world-has-forgotten-crimea "The Crime of the Century,"], March 4, 2015, The New Republic