Independence:
24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 24 August (1991); 22 January (1918), the day
Ukraine first declared its independence (from Soviet Russia) and the
day the short-lived Western and Central Ukrainian republics united
(1919), is now celebrated as Unity Day
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 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]; People's Party Our
Ukraine [Viktor YUSHCHENKO]; Party of Industrialists and
Entrepreneurs [Anatoliy KINAKH]; People's Movement of Ukraine (Rukh)
[Borys TARASYUK]; People's Party [Volodymyr LYTVYN]; 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]; Viche [Inna BOHUSLOVSKA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Committee of Voters of Ukraine [Ihor POPOV]; Peoples' Self-Defense
[Yuriy LUTSENKO]; Ne Tak [Leonid KRAVCHUK]