1. POLITICS OF UKRAINE
By: Benedict (Viktor) Gombocz

2. Ukraine’s political system:
Background
 The politics of Ukraine function in a structure of a presidential
representative democratic republic and of a multi-party structure.
 The Cabinet exercises executive power.
 The parliament (Verkhovna Rada, Верховна Рада України – literally
Supreme Council of Ukraine) exercises legislative power.
 Ukraine’s political system has been depicted by academics as
“weak, fractured, highly personal and ideologically vacuous while the
judiciary and media fail to hold politicians to account” (Dr. Taras Kuzio
in 2009).
 Ukrainian politics has been classified as “over-centralised”, seen as a
fateful inheritance of both the Soviet structure and caused by a panic of
separatism.

3. Ukraine’s political system: Constitution of
Ukraine
 In the aftermath of its independence from the Soviet Union, in 1991, Ukraine
named a parliamentary commission to draft a new constitution, approved a
multi-party system, and approved legislative pledges of civil and political rights
for its national minorities.
 On 28 June 1996, a new, democratic constitution, which authorized a pluralistic
political structure with protection of basic human rights and freedoms and a
presidential form of government, was approved.
 In December 2004, the Constitution was revised to relieve the ruling of the 2004
presidential election catastrophe.
 Through the Consociationalist accord, the form of government was shifted to a
semi-presidentialism in which Ukraine’s President had to share power with the
PM; the constitutional modifications went into effect between January and May
2006.
 In October 2010, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine repealed the 2004
modifications, on the grounds that they were unconstitutional.

4. Ukraine’s political system: Fundamental
Freedoms
 Freedom of religion is promised by law, though religious groups must register with local law
enforcement and with the central government.
 Minority rights are respected in line with a 1991 law that entitles them the right to schools and
cultural facilities and the use of national languages in carrying out personal business.
 While Ukrainian is, according to the current Constitution of Ukraine, the only official state
language, Russian is prevalent in official business in Crimea and some parts of the east of
Ukraine, areas with significant ethnic Russian minorities.
 Despite freedom of speech and press being pledged under law, authorities occasionally intervene
with the news media by different kinds of pressure; the government’s failure to perform a
careful, realistic, and apparent investigation into the 2000 vanishing of independent journalist
Georgiy Gongadze has had a harmful consequence on Ukraine’s global image.
 More than half of Ukrainians surveyed by the Razumkov Center in early October 2010 (56.6%)
indicated they believed political censorship exists in Ukraine.
 Official labor unions have been categorized under the Federation of Labor Unions; numerous
independent unions, which were created in 1992, not least of which is the Independent Union of
Miners of Ukraine, have established the Consultative Council of Free Labor Unions.
 The right to strike is legally pledged, but strikes that are based exclusively on political wishes are
forbidden.

5. Ukraine’s political system: Religions (general
scope)
 Christians – 33.6%
 Eastern Orthodox –
26.8%
 Roman Catholic – 5.9%
 Protestant – 0.9%
 Jewish – 0.1%
 Other – 3.8%
 No affiliation/not aware –
62.5%

6. Ukraine’s political system: Executive Branch
Main office holders President and Prime Minister
 President: Viktor Yanukovych  The President is elected through popular
vote for a term of five years.
 Party: Party of Regions
 The President appoints or names the
 Since: 25 February 2010 PM, who must be confirmed by parliament.
 Prime Minister: Mykola Azarov  The PM and cabinet are de jure nominated
or named by the Parliament with
 Party: Party of Regions compliance of the President and
 Since: 11 March 2010 PM, respectively (Pursuant to Article 114 of
the Constitution of Ukraine).
 A big portion of the current major officials
in the executive branch and majority
parliament coalition are from the east of
Ukraine, most prominently from Donetsk
Oblast.

7. Ukraine’s political system: Government
 Capital (and largest city): Kyiv
 Official languages: Ukrainian
 Demonym: Ukrainian
 Government: Unitary semi-
presidential republic
 President: Viktor Yanukovych
 Prime Minister: Mykola Azarov
 Speaker of Parliament: Volodymyr
Rybak
 Legislature: Verkhovna Rada

8. Ukraine’s political system: Legislative Branch
 The Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine’s parliament) is made up of 450
members, elected to a term of four years (five years from 2006 until
2012 with the 2004 modifications).
 Before 2006, half of those members were elected through proportional
representation; the other half was elected through single-seat
constituencies.
 After the March 2006 parliamentary election, all 450 affiliates of the
Verkhovna Rada were elected through party-list proportional
representation.
 The Verkhovna Rada instigates legislation and approves worldwide
agreements and the budget.
 In Ukraine, the confidence in legislative powers as a whole is very
small.

9. Ukraine’s political system: Parliamentary
parties
 Party of Regions
 All-Ukrainian Union
“Fatherland”
 Ukrainian Democratic Alliance
for Reform
 All-Ukrainian Union
"Svoboda"
 Communist Party of Ukraine
 Non-affiliated

10. Ukraine’s political system: Judicial Branch
 Constitutional jurisdiction:
 The Constitutional Court of Ukraine
 General jurisdiction:
 The Supreme Court of Ukraine;
 High specialized courts: the High Arbitration of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Вищий господарський суд
України), the High Administrative Court of Ukraine;
 Local courts of appeal, military courts of appeal, specialized courts of appeal;
 Regional district courts, military garrison courts
 Laws, acts of the Parliament and the Cabinet, presidential statutes, and acts of the Crimean
parliament (Autonomous Republic of Crimea) may be abolished by the Constitutional Court of
Ukraine, if they have violated the Constitution of Ukraine; other normative acts will be determined
by judicial review.
 In the structure of courts of general authority, the Supreme Court of Ukraine is the chief body.
 The Constitution of Ukraine permits trials by jury, though this has yet to be applied in practice.
 Additionally, some courts permit legislation as still in project, as the case is, for example, the
Court of Appeals of Ukraine; the judicial branch’s change is presently making progress.
 Also significant is the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, given with the broad freedoms
of control and management.

11. Ukraine’s political system: Local Government
 Local government is officially promised; local councils and city
mayors are elected by popular vote, exercising control of local
budgets.
 Practically, the extent of local autonomy is restricted; a large-range
change of the local government (calling for new constitutional
amendments) is periodically demanded since 2000, most notably by
the Socialist Party of Ukraine and Oleksandr Moroz.

12. Ukraine’s political system: Autonomous Republic of
Crimea
 In 1992, numerous pro-Russian
political groups in Crimea
supported its secession and
annexation to Russia.
 During the Soviet era, Crimea was
ceded from Russia to Ukraine, in
1954, by First Secretary Nikita
Khrushchev to commemorate the
300th anniversary of the Treaty of
Pereyaslav.
 In July 1992, the Crimean and
Ukrainian parliaments decided that
Crimea remain under Ukrainian
control while maintaining important
cultural and economic self-
governing, which created the
Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

13. Ukraine’s political system: International organization
participation
 BSEC, CE, CEI, CIS
(participating), EAPC, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, IFR
CS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory
user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS
(observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNID
O, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNMOT, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WM
O, WToO, WTrO, Zangger Committee.

14. Viktor Yanukovych
 Born 9 July 1950 in Yenakiieve.
 Current President of Ukraine since 25 February
2010.
 Served as the Governor of Donetsk Oblast from
1997-2002; was subsequently PM of Ukraine from
21 November 2002-31 December 2004 under
President Leonid Kuchma, and was an
unsuccessful nominee in the 2004 presidential
election, in which he lost to Viktor Yushchenko.
 Remained the leader of his party, the Party of
Regions, after that defeat; served as PM for a
second time from 4 August 2006-18 December
2007 under President Yushchenko.
 On 3 March 2010, following his ascension to the
presidency, he gave leadership of the Party of
Regions to Mykola Azarov.
 Secured most votes in the first round of the
January 2010 presidential election; his challenger
was then PM Yulia Tymoshenko in the runoff
round of that election.
 Won the runoff round of the election with 48.95%
of the vote against Tymoshenko’s 45.47%.

15. Mykola Azarov
 Born 17 December 1947 in Kaluga.
 Current PM of Ukraine since 11
March 2010.
 Was the first Vice Prime Minister and
Finance Minister from 2002-2005 and
again from 2006-2007.
 Also served ex officio as an acting
PM in the first Yanukovych
Government, when Viktor
Yanukovych initially ran for president
and later upon his government’s
resignation.
 Took Yanukovcyh’s place as leader of
the Party of Regions after the
former’s victory in the 2010
presidential election; was named a
fully fledged PM in March 2010.

16. Volodymyr Rybak
 Born 3 October 1946 in Stalino (now Donetsk).
 Current Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada since 13
December 2012, having been elected the same day
following the October 2012 parliamentary election; is
also the original leader of the forerunner of the Party of
Regions, the Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine.
 Is a Merited Builder of Ukraine (1995).
 Graduated from the Department of Economy at the
Donetsk State University in 1973, where he acquired a
doctor of economic sciences.
 Was the chairman of the city council, executive
committee and mayor of Donetsk from 1993-2002.
 Served as co-organizer and first leader of the Party of
Regions between 1997-2001.
 Serves as an affiliate of the Verkhovna Rada since the
2002 parliamentary election.
 Was First Vice Premier of Ukraine and
Construction, Architecture and Housing and Utility
minister (4 August 2006-21 March 2007) and Vice
Premier of Ukraine (21 March 2007-18 December
2007) in the Second Yanukovych Government.

17. Party of Regions
 Russophone party founded on 26 October 1997 right
before the parliamentary election the following year
under the name Party of Regional Revival of
Ukraine, under the leadership of Volodymyr Rybak.
 Was later changed in 2001 when it merged with
several other parties.
 According to the leadership of the party, in 2002, the
number of affiliates skyrocketed from 30,000 to
500,000 from its founding until late 2001.
 Claims that it ideologically protects and endorses the
rights of the ethnic Russian minority and speakers of
the Russian language in Ukraine.
 Initially backed President Leonid Kuchma, joining the
pro-government For United Ukraine coalition during
the 30 March 2002 parliamentary election.
 Its current chairman is current PM Mykola Azarov.
 Performs quite well in areas that are chiefly parts of
the historic region of the New Russia.
 Both its electoral and financial headquarters are
located mostly in east and southeast Ukraine; it enjoys
wide popularity here.
 Is mostly backed by people over the age of 45.

18. Batkivshchyna (All-Ukrainian Union
“Fatherland”)
 Founded 9 July 1999; is led by ex-PM Yulia
Tymoshenko.
 As the center party of the ex-Yulia
Tymoshenko Bloc, its parliamentary
representation in the Verkhovna Rada dates
back to the 2002 parliamentary election.
 Independently became a key force in
Ukrainian politics after involvement of blocs of
political parties in parliamentary elections was
outlawed in November 2011.
 Also added the name “United Opposition” to
its name and aligned with a number of other
parties under its sign during the 2012
parliamentary election; per December
2012, these parties are thinking about
creating a single party.
 In October 2011, party leader Yulia
Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years
in jail after her conviction on abuse of power
charges; currently, she is being held in
Kharkiv.

19. THE END (В кінці)