Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Leonid D. KUCHMA (since 19 July 1994);
election last held 26 June and 10 July 1994 (next to be held NA 1999);
results - Leonid KUCHMA 52.15%, Leonid KRAVCHUK 45.06%
head of government: Acting Prime Minister Yeuben MARCHUK (since 3
March 1995); First Deputy Prime Ministers Yevhen MARCHUK and Viktor
PYNZENYK (since 31 October 1994) and six deputy prime ministers
cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president and approved
by the Supreme Council
National Security Council: originally created in 1992, but
signficantly revamped and strengthened under President KUCHMA; members
include the president, prime minister, Ministers of Finance,
Environment, Justice, Internal Affairs, Foreign Economic Relations,
Economic and Foreign Affairs; the NSC staff is tasked with developing
national security policy on domestic and international matters and
advising the president
Presidential Administration: helps draft presidential edicts and
provides policy support to the president
Council of Regions: advisory body created by President KUCHMA in
September 1994; includes the Chairmen of Oblast and Kiev and
Sevastopol City Supreme Councils
Legislative branch: unicameral
Supreme Council: elections last held 27 March 1994 with repeat
elections continuing through December 1998 to fill empty seats (next
to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (450
total) Communists 91, Rukh 22, Agrarians 18, Socialists 15,
Republicans 11, Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists 5, Labor 5, Party
of Democratic Revival 4, Democrats 2, Social Democrats 2, Civil
Congress 2, Conservative Republicans 1, Party of Economic Revival of
Crimea 1, Christian Democrats 1, independents 225; note - 405 deputies
have been elected; run-off elections for the remaining 45 seats to be
held by December 1998
Judicial branch: joint commission formed in April 1995 to define a
program of judicial reform by year-end
Political parties and leaders: Green Party of Ukraine, Vitaliy
KONONOV, leader; Liberal Party of Ukraine; Liberal Democratic Party of
Ukraine, Volodymyr KLYMCHUK, chairman; Democratic Party of Ukraine,
Volodymyr Oleksandrovych YAVORIVSKIY, chairman; People's Party of
Ukraine, Leopol'd TABURYANSKYY, chairman; Peasants' Party of Ukraine,
Serhiy DOVHRAN', chairman; Party of Democratic Rebirth (Revival) of
Ukraine, Volodymyr FILENKO, chairman; Social Democratic Party of
Ukraine, Yuriy VUZDUHAN, chairman; Socialist Party of Ukraine,
Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman; Ukrainian Christian Democratic Party,
Vitaliy ZHURAVSKYY, chairman; Ukrainian Conservative Republican Party,
Stepan KHMARA, chairman; Ukrainian Labor Party, Valentyn LANDYK,
chairman; Ukrainian Party of Justice, Mykhaylo HRECHKO, chairman;
Ukrainian Peasants' Democratic Party, Serhiy PLACHINDA, chairman;
Ukrainian Republican Party, Mykhaylo HORYN', chairman; Ukrainian
National Conservative Party, Viktor RADIONOV, chairman; Ukrainian
People's Movement for Restructuring (Rukh), Vyacheslav CHORNOVIL,
chairman; Ukrainian Communist Party, Petr SYMONENKO; Agrarian Party;
Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists, S. STESTKO; Civil Congress, O.
BAZYLUK; Party of Economic Revival of Crimea; Democratic Party Of
Ukraine, Serhiy DOVMAN', chairman
Other political or pressure groups: New Ukraine (Nova Ukrayina);
Congress of National Democratic Forces
Member of: BSEC, CCC, CE (guest), CEI (associate members), CIS, EBRD,
ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT
(nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NACC,
OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNPROFOR, UPU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Yuriy SHCHERBAK chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 333-0606 FAX: [1] (202) 333-0817 consulate(s) general: Chicago and New York
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador William Green MILLER embassy: 10 Yuria Kotsyubinskovo, 252053 Kiev 53 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [7] (044) 244-73-49, 244-37-45 FAX: [7] (044) 244-73-50
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow represent grainfields under a blue sky