Ukrainian independence referendum, 1991
Encyclopedia
A referendum on the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine took place in Ukraine
on December 1, 1991. The only question of the referendum
was: "Do you support the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine
?" – with the text of the Declaration as a preamble to the question. The referendum was called by the Parliament of Ukraine
to confirm the Act of Independence, which was adopted by the Parliament on August 24, 1991.
Citizens of Ukraine expressed overwhelming support for independence. In the referendum, 31,891,742 registered voters (or 84.18% of the electorate) took part, and among them 28,804,071 (or 90.32%) voted "Yes".
On the same day, a presidential election
took place. Ukrainians elected Leonid Kravchuk
(the parliament chairman
at the time) to serve as the first President of Ukraine
.
and Sevastopol City
).
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
on December 1, 1991. The only question of the referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
was: "Do you support the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine
Declaration of Independence of Ukraine
The Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine was adopted by the Ukrainian parliament on August 24, 1991. The Act established Ukraine as an independent, democratic state....
?" – with the text of the Declaration as a preamble to the question. The referendum was called by the Parliament of Ukraine
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
to confirm the Act of Independence, which was adopted by the Parliament on August 24, 1991.
Citizens of Ukraine expressed overwhelming support for independence. In the referendum, 31,891,742 registered voters (or 84.18% of the electorate) took part, and among them 28,804,071 (or 90.32%) voted "Yes".
On the same day, a presidential election
Ukrainian presidential election, 1991
The Ukrainian presidential election, 1991 was the first presidential election held in Ukraine following independence from the Soviet Union. The election was contested on December 1, 1991, with all six candidates campaigning in support of Ukrainian independence...
took place. Ukrainians elected Leonid Kravchuk
Leonid Kravchuk
Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk is a Ukrainian politician, the first President of Ukraine serving from December 5, 1991 until his resignation on July 19, 1994, a former Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and People's Deputy of Ukraine serving in the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine faction.After a...
(the parliament chairman
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's unicameral parliament. The speaker presides over the parliament and its procedures. They are elected by secret ballot from the parliament's deputy ranks...
at the time) to serve as the first President of Ukraine
President of Ukraine
Prior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the...
.
Referendum results by regions
The Act of Independence was supported by citizens of all 27 administrative regions of Ukraine: 24 Oblasts, 1 Autonomous Republic, and 2 Special Municipalities (Kiev CityKiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
and Sevastopol City
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
).
| Subdivision | Voted "Yes" % |
|---|---|
| Crimean ASSR | 54.19 |
| Cherkasy Oblast Cherkasy Oblast Cherkasy Oblast is an oblast of central Ukraine located along the Dnieper River. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Cherkasy).-Geography:... |
96.03 |
| Chernihiv Oblast Chernihiv Oblast Chernihiv Oblast is an oblast of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Chernihiv.-Geography:The total area of the province is around 31,900 km².... |
93.74 |
| Chernivtsi Oblast Chernivtsi Oblast Chernivtsi Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine, bordering on Romania and Moldova. It has a large variety of landforms: the Carpathian Mountains and picturesque hills at the foot of the mountains gradually change to a broad partly forested plain situated between the Dniester and Prut rivers.... |
92.78 |
| Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Dnipropetrovsk Oblast is an oblast of central Ukraine, the most important industrial region of the country. Its administrative center is Dnipropetrovsk.... |
90.36 |
| Donetsk Oblast Donetsk Oblast Donetsk Oblast is an oblast of eastern Ukraine. Its administrative center is Donetsk. Historically, the province is an important part of the Donbas region... |
83.90 |
| Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Ivano-Frankivsk. As is the case with most other oblasts of Ukraine this region has the same name as its administrative center – which was renamed by the Soviets after the Ukrainian writer, nationalist... |
98.42 |
| Kharkiv Oblast Kharkiv Oblast Kharkiv Oblast is an oblast in eastern Ukraine. The oblast borders Russia to the north, Luhansk Oblast to the east, Donetsk Oblast to the south-east, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the south-west, Poltava Oblast to the west and Sumy Oblast to the north-west... |
86.33 |
| Kherson Oblast Kherson Oblast Kherson Oblast is an oblast in southern Ukraine, just north of Crimea. Its administrative center is Kherson. The area of the region is 29000 km², its population is 1.12 million.Important cities in the oblast include:... |
90.13 |
| Khmelnytskyi Oblast Khmelnytskyi Oblast Khmelnytskyi Oblast is an oblast of western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Khmelnytskyi.The current estimated population is around 1,401,140 .-Geography:... |
96.30 |
| Kiev Oblast Kiev Oblast Kyiv Oblast, sometimes written as Kiev Oblast is an oblast in central Ukraine.The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Kyiv , also being the capital of Ukraine... |
95.52 |
| Kirovohrad Oblast Kirovohrad Oblast Kirovohrad Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Kirovohrad.-Geography:The area of the province is , its population is 1.1 million.... |
93.88 |
| Luhansk Oblast Luhansk Oblast Luhansk Oblast ) is the easternmost oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Luhansk. The oblast was established in 1938 and bore the name Voroshilovgrad Oblast in honor of Kliment Voroshilov.... |
83.86 |
| Lviv Oblast Lviv Oblast Lviv Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Lviv.-History:The oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on December 4, 1939... |
97.46 |
| Mykolayiv Oblast | 89.45 |
| Odessa Oblast Odessa Oblast Odesa Oblast, also written as Odessa Oblast , is the southernmost and largest oblast of south-western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Odessa.-History:... |
85.38 |
| Poltava Oblast Poltava Oblast Poltava Oblast is an oblast of central Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Poltava.Other important cities within the oblast include: Komsomolsk, Kremenchuk, Lubny and Myrhorod.-Geography:... |
94.93 |
| Rivne Oblast Rivne Oblast Rivne Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Rivne. The area of the region is 20,100 km²; its population is 1.2 million... |
95.96 |
| Sumy Oblast Sumy Oblast Sumy Oblast is an oblast in the northeastern part of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Sumy.Other important cities within the oblast include Konotop, Okhtyrka, Romny, and Shostka.... |
92.61 |
| Ternopil Oblast Ternopil Oblast Ternopil Oblast is an oblast' of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Ternopil, through which flows the Seret River, a tributary of the Dnister.-Geography:... |
98.67 |
| Vinnytsia Oblast Vinnytsia Oblast Vinnytsia Oblast is an oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Vinnytsia.-Geography:The area of the region is 26,500 km²; its population is 1.7 million.... |
95.43 |
| Volyn Oblast Volyn Oblast Volyn Oblast is an oblast in north-western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Lutsk. Kovel is the westernmost town and the last station in Ukraine of the rail line running from Kiev to Warsaw.-History:... |
96.32 |
| Zakarpattia Oblast Zakarpattia Oblast The Zakarpattia Oblast is an administrative oblast located in southwestern Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Uzhhorod... |
92.59 |
| Zaporizhzhia Oblast | 90.66 |
| Zhytomyr Oblast Zhytomyr Oblast Zhytomyr Oblast is an oblast of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Zhytomyr.-History:The oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on September 22, 1937.... |
95.06 |
| Kiev City Kiev Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press.... |
92.87 |
| Sevastopol City Sevastopol Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa.... |
57.07 |
| National Total | 90.32 |
External links
- "Independence - over 90% vote yes in referendum; Kravchuk elected president of Ukraine" – Chrystyna Lapychak, The Ukrainian WeeklyThe Ukrainian WeeklyThe Ukrainian Weekly is the oldest English-language newspaper of the Ukrainian diaspora in the United States, and North America.Founded by the Ukrainian National Association, and published continuously since October 6, 1933, archived copies of the newspaper are available at leading libraries in the...
, December 8, 1991 - "The funeral of the empire", Leonid KravchukLeonid KravchukLeonid Makarovych Kravchuk is a Ukrainian politician, the first President of Ukraine serving from December 5, 1991 until his resignation on July 19, 1994, a former Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and People's Deputy of Ukraine serving in the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine faction.After a...
, Zerkalo NedeliZerkalo NedeliZerkalo Nedeli , usually referred to in English as the Mirror Weekly, is one of Ukraine’s most influential analytical newspapers published weekly in Kiev, the nation's capital. It was founded in 1994, and as of 2006 its print circulation was 57,000. It offers political analysis, original...
(Mirror Weekly), August 23–September 1, 2001. Available online in Russian and in Ukrainian. - "Confide in people," Dr. Stanislav Kulchytsky, Zerkalo NedeliZerkalo NedeliZerkalo Nedeli , usually referred to in English as the Mirror Weekly, is one of Ukraine’s most influential analytical newspapers published weekly in Kiev, the nation's capital. It was founded in 1994, and as of 2006 its print circulation was 57,000. It offers political analysis, original...
(Mirror Weekly), December 1–December 7, 2001. Available online in Russian and in Ukrainian.