Constitution:
adopted 28 June 1996
Legal system:
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Leonid D. KUCHMA (since 19 July 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Viktor YANUKOVYCH (since 21
November 2002); First Deputy Prime Minister Mykola AZAROV (since 26
November 2002)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president and
approved by the Supreme Council
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 31 October and 14 November 1999 (next to be held
NA October 2004); prime minister and deputy prime ministers
appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme Council
election results: Leonid D. KUCHMA elected president; percent of
vote - Leonid KUCHMA 57.7%, Petro SYMONENKO 38.8%
note: there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC
originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council, but
significantly revamped and strengthened under President KUCHMA; the
NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on
domestic and international matters and advising the president; a
Presidential Administration that helps draft presidential edicts and
provides policy support to the president; and a Council of Regions
that serves as an advisory body created by President KUCHMA in
September 1994 that includes chairmen of the Kiev (Kyyiv) and
Sevastopol' municipalities and chairmen of the oblasti
Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; under
Ukraine's new election law, 225 of the Supreme Council's seats are
allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 4% or
more of the national electoral vote; the other 225 members are
elected by popular vote in single-mandate constituencies; all serve
four-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party - Our Ukraine 24%, CPU
20%, United Ukraine 12%, United Social Democratic Party 6%, SPU 7%,
Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 7%, other 24%; seats by party - Our Ukraine
102, CPU 60, Regions of Ukraine 42, Working Ukraine-Industrialists
and Entrepreneurs 41, United Social Democratic Party 39, Democratic
Initiatives 22, SPU 20, People's Power 19, European Choice 18,
Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 18, Agrarian Party 17, People's Democratic
Party 16, People's Choice 15, others 21
note: following the election, United Ukraine splintered into the
Agrarian Party, European Choice, People's Choice, People's
Democratic Party, Regions of Ukraine, and Working
Ukraine-Industrialists and Entrepreneurs
elections: last held 31 March 2002 (next to be held NA 2006)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders:
Agrarian Party [Kateryna VASHCHUK]; Communist Party of Ukraine or
CPU [Petro SYMONENKO]; Democratic Initiatives [Stepan HAVRYSH];
European Choice [Volodymyr STASYUK]; Our Ukraine [Viktor
YUSHCHENKO]; People's Choice [Mykola HAPOCHKA]; People's Democratic
Party or PDP [Valeriy PUSTOVOYTENKO, chairman]; People's Power
[Bohdan HUBSKYY]; Regions of Ukraine [Viktor YANUKOVYCH]; Socialist
Party of Ukraine or SPU [Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman]; United Social
Democratic Party [Leonid KRAVCHUK]; Working Ukraine-Industrialists
and Entrepreneurs [Ihor SHAROV]; Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc [Yuliya
TYMOSHENKO]
note: and numerous smaller parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
BSEC, CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, GUUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer),
OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL,
UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNMOVIC, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer), ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Sergiy
KORSUNSKYI
FAX: [1] (202) 333-0817
consulate(s) general: Chicago and New York
telephone: [1] (202) 349-2920
chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007