Legal system:
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Viktor A. YUSHCHENKO (since 23 January
2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Viktor YANUKOVYCH (since 4 August
2006); First Deputy Prime Minister - Mykola AZAROV (since 5 August
2006)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers selected by the prime minister; the
only exceptions are the foreign and defense ministers, who are
chosen by the president
note: there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC
originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council; the
NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on
domestic and international matters and advising the president; a
Presidential Secretariat helps draft presidential edicts and
provides policy support to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); note - a special repeat runoff
presidential election between Viktor YUSHCHENKO and Viktor
YANUKOVYCH took place on 26 December 2004 after the earlier 21
November 2004 contest - won by Mr. YANUKOVYCH - was invalidated by
the Ukrainian Supreme Court because of widespread and significant
violations; under constitutional reforms that went into effect 1
January 2006, the majority in parliament takes the lead in naming
the prime minister
election results: Viktor YUSHCHENKO elected president; percent of
vote - Viktor YUSHCHENKO 51.99%, Viktor YANUKOVYCH 44.2%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; allocated
on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 3% or more of the
national electoral vote; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 26 March 2006 (next to be held March 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party/bloc in 2002 - Party of
Regions 32.1%, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 22.3%, Our Ukraine 13.9%, SPU
5.7%, CPU 3.7%; seats by party/bloc - Party of Regions 186, Yuliya
Tymoshenko Bloc 129, Our Ukraine 81, SPU 33, CPU 21
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders:
Communist Party of Ukraine or CPU [Petro SYMONENKO]; Fatherland
Party (Batkivshchyna) [Yuliya TYMOSHENKO]; Lytyvn-led People's Bloc
group [Ihor SHAROV]; Our Ukraine [Viktor YUSHCHENKO]; Party of
Industrialists and Entrepreneurs [Anatoliy KINAKH]; People's
Movement of Ukraine (Rukh) [Borys TARASYUK]; People's Party
[Volodymyr LYTVYN]; People's Trust group [Anton KISSE]; PORA! (It's
Time!) party [Vladyslav KASKIV]; Progressive Socialist Party
[Natalya VITRENKO]; Reforms and Order Party [Viktor PYNZENYK]; Party
of Regions [Viktor YANUKOVYCH]; Republican Party [Yuriy BOYKO];
Social Democratic Party (United) or SDPU(o) [Viktor MEDVEDCHUK];
Socialist Party of Ukraine or SPU [Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman];
Ukrainian People's Party [Yuriy KOSTENKO]; United Ukraine [Bohdan
HUBSKYY]; Vidrodzhennya (Revival) [Anton KISSE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Committee of Voters of Ukraine [Ihor POPOV]
International organization participation:
Australia Group, BSEC, CBSS (observer), CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD,
FAO, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,
ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS
(observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI (observer),
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG,
UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer), ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Oleh V. SHAMSHUR
chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 333-0606
FAX: [1] (202) 333-0817
consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador William B. TAYLOR
embassy: 10 Yurii Kotsiubynsky Street, 04053 Kyiv
mailing address: 5850 Kiev Place, Washington, DC 20521-5850
telephone: [380] (44) 490-4000
FAX: [380] (44) 490-4085