Verkhovna Rada
Encyclopedia
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( (Supreme Council of Ukraine)) is Ukraine
's parliament
. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman
(speaker
). It meets in the Verkhovna Rada building
in Ukraine's capital Kiev
.
The Verkhovna Rada was first established in 1938 as the national parliament of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic after the reorganization of Central Executive Committee of Ukrainian SSR
. Since then, 17 convocation
s (sessions) of the Verkhovna Rada were held. The Verkhovna Rada of the 14th convocation officially changed the numbering of sessions, proclaiming itself the Verkhovna Rada of the third convocation. The sixth convocation is the latest convocation of the parliament.
In the Verkhovna Rada elections, the seats are divided among all parties that achieved a minimum 3% nationwide vote tally, using the Hamilton method of apportionment
. The latest elections
to the Verkhovna Rada were held on September 30, 2007. On October 8, 2008, President
Viktor Yushchenko
dissolved the parliament and called early elections
, however these never took place.
means "council". It originated in medieval Rus'
, and in the 10th century represented a boyar
council. It was also used by Dnieper Cossacks in the 17th and 18th centuries for the meetings where major decisions were made and new councils were elected by popular vote.
This name was later used by the Ukrainian Revolutionary government
between March 17, 1917 and April 29, 1918 (Central Rada).
Verkhovna, is the feminine form of the adjective
meaning supreme. It is derived from the Ukrainian
word meaning "top".
, also known as TsIKUK, TsVK, or VUTsVK. The last chairman of the TsVK was Hryhoriy Petrovsky.
The first elections to the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR
took place on June 26, 1938. The first session of the parliament took place in Kiev on July 25 through 28, 1938. The first Chairman of the Rada was elected Mykhailo Burmystenko who later perished during World War II
. There also was created a presidium
of the Rada that was headed by Leonid Korniyets
(July 27, 1938).
During the war the presidium was evacuated to the city of Saratov
. On June 29, 1943 the presidium issued the order to postpone the elections to the new convocation for a year while extending the obligations of the first elected convocation. On January 8, 1944 the Cabinet Ministers of Ukrainian SSR in agreement with the Communist Party decided to relocate the presidium of Verkhovna Rada from Kharkiv back to Kiev. The new elections were scheduled on February 9, 1947.
to select deputies to the Verkhovna Rada was held March 1990. Although the Communist Party still remained in control, a so-called "Democratic Bloc
" was formed by numerous parties, including People's Movement of Ukraine
(Rukh), Helsinki Watch Committee of Ukraine
, Party of Greens of Ukraine
, and many others.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukrainian SSR of the twelfth convocation proclaimed the state sovereignty
of Ukraine on July 16, 1990, and declared Ukraine's independence and the creation of the Ukrainian State on August 24, 1991, at approximately 6 p.m. local time. At the time, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada
was Leonid Kravchuk
. The Act of Ukrainian Independence was overwhelmingly supported in a national referendum
held on December 1, 1991.
The Constitution of Ukraine
was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of the thirteenth convocation on June 28, 1996, at approximately 9 a.m. local time. The parliament's fourteenth convocation officially changed the numbering of the convocations proclaiming itself the Verkhovna Rada of the third convocation. After the Orange Revolution
, a set of amendments were adopted to the constitution on December 8, 2004, by the Verkhovna Rada of the fourth (fifteenth) convocation. On October 1, 2010 the Constitutional Court of Ukraine
overturned the 2004 Constitutional Amendments, considering them unconstitutional.
In January 2009 the Verkhovna Rada deputies trimmed their financing by 118 million hryvnias
, compared with the year 2008 (amid statements of lawmakers about the necessity triming the expendure of government to fight the current economic crises of Ukraine
). At first the parliament trimmed on details but later, under the pressure of government, lawmakers also trimmed their salaries. However mid-June Ukrainian newspaper DELO
reviled that during a voting on the law on changes in the state budget-2009 (which proposed to finance providing those ill with diabetes with insulin at the expense of the increased excise duty on beer) Verkhovna Rada deputies introduced an amendment into the law and increased the Verkhovna Rada’s budget by 97 million hryvnias this way (as made public by
Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc faction
member Oleh Liashko). President Viktor Yuschenko vetoed the law on June 18, 2009. The president stated that the 100 million hryvnias from the excise should be given to the health care sector instead of the parliament's own expenditures.
The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc faction intended to initiate the abolishment of parliamentary immunity
in September 2009 without result.
’s Black Sea Fleet
lease in the Crimea
n port of Sevastopol
until 2042, when parliament speaker
Volodymyr Lytvyn
had to be shielded by umbrellas as he was pelted with eggs
, while smoke bombs exploded and politicians brawled. Another major incident occurred on December 16, 2010 when several Rada members where admitted to hospital after Party of Regions
politicians stormed the parliament podium, which was occupied by the Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko faction.
A microphone throwing championship among MPs, organized by the Kyiv independent media trade union, was held outside the building of the Verkhovna Rada on Friday, September 11, 2009 in response to an incident on September 1, 2009 when an Communist MP snatched a microphone from a STB
reporter and threw it downstairs. Several MPs participated.
On May 13, 2010 Lytvyn asked lawmakers to work in the session hall and not to read newspapers there.
The Verkhovna Rada meets in a neo-classical
building
on Kiev's Hrushevsky Street. The building adjoins a picturesque park and the 18th century Mariyinsky Palace
, designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli
, which serves as the official residence of the President of Ukraine
.
After the transfer of the capital of the Ukrainian SSR from Kharkiv
to Kiev in 1934, a whole set of government buildings was planned for the city. In 1936, a contest for the construction of the new parliament building was won by architect Volodymyr Zabolotny.
Construction for the original building was done from 1936-38. Having been destroyed in the Second World War
, the building was reconstructed in its original style in 1945-1947, with the glass dome being rebuilt one metre higher than the original one.
power in Ukraine. The parliament determines the principles of domestic and foreign policy, introduces amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine
, adopts laws, approves the state budget
, designates elections of the President of Ukraine
, impeaches the president, declares war and peace, appoints the Prime Minister of Ukraine
, appoints or approves appointment of certain officials, appoints one-third of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine
, elects judges for permanent terms, ratifies and denounces international treaties, and exercises certain control functions.
Voting for other deputies is prohibited by law. Deputies have stated they could not have taken part in votes although their votes were registered in parliament. A bill on introducing voting of lawmakers with help of a touch-sensitive key
was not passed in mid-March 2011. In April 2011 a vote of a deputy was registered although the man had died four days before the voting.
In original Ukrainian:
In English translation:
When the work of the parliament is blocked during plenary meetings wages are not credited to deputies.
, All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" and Labour Ukraine
.
Currently, six parties and blocs are represented in the Verkhovna Rada: the Party of Regions, the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT), the Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc (OU-PSD), the Communist Party of Ukraine
(CPU), and the Lytvyn Bloc. On November 16, 2010 the ByuT faction was officially renamed “Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko-Batkivschyna”. Three days later the Lytvyn Bloc faction was officially renamed People's Party
faction. On February 16, 2011 a new parliamentary faction Reforms for the Future
was created.
Each parliamentary faction or group is headed by its leader. Parliamentarians may become unaffiliated from the initially elected faction and realigned under a different parliamentary group or defecting into another faction. In 2000s in Verkhovna Rada has formed three major camps: Social-Nationalistic, Big business conservative, and small third parties (often Communist-oriented). The Social-Nationalistic camp was composed out of small National-Democratic parties and the Social-Democratic BYuT; the Big business conservative camp was represented by a single party, the Party of Regions
; other smaller "third parties" were mostly left-wing oriented or pro-agrarian choosing to be associated with either of bigger factions. Recently there has established a term for such lawmakers - "tushky" which is a sort of derogatory word meaning "bodies". The term is applied to independent members of parliament who unaffiliated themselves after being initially elected to the parliament through a certain parliamentary faction.
Women make up 8.5 percent of the parliament compared to an average of 30 percent in Europe
. Several millionaires are member of Rada factions.
14 Rada lawmakers missed all 51 parliament sessions in 2010.
Verkhovna Rada deputies have the right to free transportation, free use of the hall of official delegations, free housing, free medical services and free vacations at health spas. The Ukrainian President, Prime Minister
, members of the government
and the Verkhovna Rada deputies also have parliamentary immunity
(law enforcement also cannot search their homes or follow them.). During the Orange Revolution
and the campaign for the 2007 parliamentary election
Party of Regions, OU-PSD and BYuT all promised to strip lawmakers of there parliamentary immunity. June 2008 the parliament failed to adopt the bill on restriction of privileges for deputies and introduction of imperative mandate
. 192 people's deputies voted "for" the bill submitted by the BYuT faction out of 436 deputies registered in the session hall. The factions of the opposition Party of Regions, as well as the CPU and the Lytvyn Bloc voted against, the OU-PSD faction voted partially "for" and the BYUT faction voted (fully) "for". A proposal to send the bill for the first reading for the second time did also not find support. In May 2009 the second Tymoshenko Government
approved a bill amending the law on the status of a people's deputies of Ukraine, this bill reduces certain privileges for incumbent deputies and former deputies.
The deputies possess full personal legal immunity
during the term of office. On the one hand, this may help certain individuals avoid criminal responsibility; on the other hand, the immunity serves as a guarantee for the existence of political opposition
. In cases of egregious malfeasance, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine
or the Head of the Supreme Court of Ukraine
can request that a deputy's immunity be revoked; the decision whether to revoke is up to the Verkhovna Rada. Deputies can also tend in there resignation themselves.
As of March 25, 2010 no deputy's immunity or their privileges were revoked. Individual deputies can be stripped of their immunity if a bill to strip their rights is passed by the Verkhovna Rada.
The parliament elects from among its ranks the Chairman (Speaker
; ), the First Deputy Chairman, and the Deputy Chairman.
Before the Chairman of a newly convoked Rada is elected, parliamentary session
s are presided over by members of a temporary presidium of the first session . The temporary presidium is composed of five deputies, representing the four largest parliamentary fractions plus the chairman of a preparatory deputy group of the first parliamentary session, however the Rada may enact an ad hoc
deviation from this composition rule.
The Chairman presides over parliamentary sessions, signs bills and sends them to the President
for promulgation
, signs and promulgates parliamentary acts (other than bills), organises staff work, etc. The chairman is also allowed to call special session
s of parliament, enact bills veto
ed by the president
only when the Verkhovna Rada votes to overcome the veto by a two-thirds majority, and participate in meetings of the National Security and Defence Council.
In case the post of the President of Ukraine becomes vacant, the Chairman of the Rada becomes acting head of state with limited authority. For instance, the acting president cannot dissolve the parliament, appoint or submit for parliamentary approval candidates for many key official posts, grant military ranks or state orders, or exercise the right of pardon
. The Constitution and Ukrainian legislation contain no provisions for presidential succession in case the posts of President and Chairman of the Rada are both vacant.
. The office has its own secretariat and advising council.
s, but most of committees are being reformed from one convocation to another. One of the most important is the Verkhovna Rada committee on Budget.
(PACE) in 1995.
It is represented there by the parliamentary delegation of Verkhovna Rada consisting of 12 representatives including the chairperson of delegation and the vice-chairperson and their 12 substitutes; in total, 24 members. Ukrainian delegation also has its own permanent secretariat of four members that assist in the inter-parliamentary relationships between PACE and Verkhovna Rada. The current chairperson of the delegation is Mr. Ivan Popescu (PR
), while Mrs. Olha Herasymiyuk (OU) is the vice-chairperson. For the full list of members, refer to the PACE main website at assembly.coe.int.
of the Verkhovna Rada has been elected under a different set of laws (gradually evolving from the purely majoritarian scheme of the Soviet era to a purely proportional scheme
, effective in 2006 under the transitional provisions of the constitutional amendments).
In the 1990
and 1994 elections
, all 450 MPs were elected by majority voting. At the time, Ukraine was divided in 450 electoral districts. Each district sent 1 MP to parliament. In order to win the election, a candidate needed more than 50% of the votes. If no candidate had 50%, then the two candidates with the most votes ran in a second round.
In the 1998
and 2002 elections
, 225 MPs were elected by majority voting as earlier (with the exception, that the candidate needed only a simple majority to win). Another 225 MPs were elected on a proportional basis
. These seats were divided between the parties who obtained 4% or greater support in the general election.
From the 2006 election
and onward, all deputies were elected on a proportional basis. All seats were divided between the parties that obtained 3% or more support of voters. For the 2007 election
, the threshold percentage was not changed, but some amendments to the election process were made.
, the President of Ukraine
, dissolved parliament and signed the presidential decree ordering early parliamentary elections in Ukraine to be held on May 27, 2007, which later triggered a political crisis
. However, the election was later postponed to June 24, 2007. The Rada has called this decree unconstitutional, prevented funds allocation for elections and continued to function.
After more than 1/3 of the deputes resigned and the President
, Prime Minister
and Chairman reached an agreement the election was scheduled on September 30, 2007.
Summary of the 30 September 2007 Verkhovna Rada election results
[ Full version]
|-
|bgcolor="#E9E9E9"|
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left valign=top |Parties and blocs
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Votes
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|%
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Seats
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|+/–
|-
!bgcolor="SteelBlue"|
|align=left|Party of Regions
(Партія регіонів)
|valign=top|8,013,895
|valign=top|34.37
|valign=top|175
|valign=top|–11
|-
!bgcolor="Crimson"|
|align=left|Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (Блок Юлії Тимошенко)
|valign=top|7,162,193
|valign=top|30.71
|valign=top|156
|valign=top|+27
|-
! bgcolor="Orange"|
|align=left|Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc (Блок Наша Україна–Народна Самооборона)
|valign=top|3,301,282
|valign=top|14.15
|valign=top|72
|valign=top|–9
|-
! bgcolor="Red"|
|align=left|Communist Party of Ukraine
(Комуністична партія України)
|valign=top|1,257,291
|valign=top|5.39
|valign=top|27
|valign=top|+6
|-
! bgcolor="SpringGreen"|
|align=left|Lytvyn Bloc (Блок Литвина)
|valign=top|924,538
|valign=top|3.96
|valign=top|20
|valign=top|+20
|-
! bgcolor="DeepPink"|
|align=left|Socialist Party of Ukraine
(Соціалістична партія України)
|valign=top|668,234
|valign=top|2.86
|valign=top|0
|valign=top|–33
|-
|bgcolor="#f9f9f9"|
|align=left|Others
|valign=top|
|valign=top|
|valign=top|—
|valign=top|—
|-
|bgcolor="#f9f9f9"|
|align=left|Against all
|valign=top|637,185
|valign=top|2.73
|valign=top|—
|valign=top|—
|-
|bgcolor="#f9f9f9"|
|align=left|Invalid ballot papers
|valign=top|379,658
|valign=top|1.62
|valign=top|—
|valign=top|—
|-
|bgcolor="#E9E9E9"|
|align=left style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Total (turnout 62.02%)
|width="75" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|23,315,257
|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|100
|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|450
|valign=top align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|—
|-
|colspan=5 align=left|Source: Central Election Commission of Ukraine (English)
|}
have been removed from their original faction after the last election; several left their (original) faction to join another fraction in October 2010.
Center for Adaptation of Civil Service to the Standards of EU
- public institution established by the Decree of Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
to facilitate administrative reform in Ukraine and to enhance the adaptation of the civil service to the standards of the European Union.
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...
's parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a 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...
(speaker
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
). It meets in the Verkhovna Rada building
Verkhovna Rada building
The Verkhovna Rada building is located in the center of the capital city of Ukraine Kiev, in the Pechersk Raion. It is the place where the Ukrainian parliament meets for all regular and ceremonial sessions...
in Ukraine's capital Kiev
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....
.
The Verkhovna Rada was first established in 1938 as the national parliament of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic after the reorganization of Central Executive Committee of Ukrainian SSR
Central Executive Committee of Ukraine
Central Executive Committee of Ukraine was a representative body of the All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets. It was the supreme legislative, administrative, executive controlling state power of the Soviet Ukraine between the sessions of the Congress of Soviets that acted between 1917 until 1938...
. Since then, 17 convocation
Convocation
A Convocation is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose.- University use :....
s (sessions) of the Verkhovna Rada were held. The Verkhovna Rada of the 14th convocation officially changed the numbering of sessions, proclaiming itself the Verkhovna Rada of the third convocation. The sixth convocation is the latest convocation of the parliament.
In the Verkhovna Rada elections, the seats are divided among all parties that achieved a minimum 3% nationwide vote tally, using the Hamilton method of apportionment
Largest remainder method
The largest remainder method is one way of allocating seats proportionally for representative assemblies with party list voting systems...
. The latest elections
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2007
Early parliamentary elections in Ukraine took place on 30 September 2007. The date of the election was determined following agreement between the President Viktor Yushchenko, the Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Moroz on 27 May 2007, in an attempt...
to the Verkhovna Rada were held on September 30, 2007. On October 8, 2008, President
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...
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
dissolved the parliament and called early elections
Next Ukrainian parliamentary election
On February 1, 2011 the Verkhovna Rada set the election date for the next Ukrainian parliamentary election for October 28, 2012. The elections will use a mixed voting system with a 5% election threshold and the participation of blocs of political parties will not be allowed anymore...
, however these never took place.
Name
The name RadaRada
Rada is the term for "council" or "assembly"borrowed by Polish from the Low Franconian "Rad" and later passed into the Czech, Ukrainian, and Belarusian languages....
means "council". It originated in medieval Rus'
Kievan Rus'
Kievan Rus was a medieval polity in Eastern Europe, from the late 9th to the mid 13th century, when it disintegrated under the pressure of the Mongol invasion of 1237–1240....
, and in the 10th century represented a boyar
Boyar
A boyar, or bolyar , was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Moscovian, Kievan Rus'ian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, and Moldavian aristocracies, second only to the ruling princes , from the 10th century through the 17th century....
council. It was also used by Dnieper Cossacks in the 17th and 18th centuries for the meetings where major decisions were made and new councils were elected by popular vote.
This name was later used by the Ukrainian Revolutionary government
Ukrainian People's Republic
The Ukrainian People's Republic or Ukrainian National Republic was a republic that was declared in part of the territory of modern Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, eventually headed by Symon Petliura.-Revolutionary Wave:...
between March 17, 1917 and April 29, 1918 (Central Rada).
Verkhovna, is the feminine form of the adjective
Adjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
meaning supreme. It is derived from the Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
word meaning "top".
Soviet period (1938–1990)
The Rada replaced the All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets as the Supreme Body of State Power according to the Constitution of Ukrainian SSR of 1937. The Congress of Soviets was initiated by the Central Executive CommitteeCentral Executive Committee of Ukraine
Central Executive Committee of Ukraine was a representative body of the All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets. It was the supreme legislative, administrative, executive controlling state power of the Soviet Ukraine between the sessions of the Congress of Soviets that acted between 1917 until 1938...
, also known as TsIKUK, TsVK, or VUTsVK. The last chairman of the TsVK was Hryhoriy Petrovsky.
The first elections to the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
took place on June 26, 1938. The first session of the parliament took place in Kiev on July 25 through 28, 1938. The first Chairman of the Rada was elected Mykhailo Burmystenko who later perished during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. There also was created a presidium
Presidium
The presidium or praesidium is the name for the heading organ of various legislative and organizational bodies.-Historical usage:...
of the Rada that was headed by Leonid Korniyets
Leonid Korniyets
Leonid Romanovych Korniyets was a Ukrainian and Soviet politician, who served as the head of government of Ukrainian SSR from 1939 to 1944.-Biography:...
(July 27, 1938).
During the war the presidium was evacuated to the city of Saratov
Saratov
-Modern Saratov:The Saratov region is highly industrialized, due in part to the rich in natural and industrial resources of the area. The region is also one of the more important and largest cultural and scientific centres in Russia...
. On June 29, 1943 the presidium issued the order to postpone the elections to the new convocation for a year while extending the obligations of the first elected convocation. On January 8, 1944 the Cabinet Ministers of Ukrainian SSR in agreement with the Communist Party decided to relocate the presidium of Verkhovna Rada from Kharkiv back to Kiev. The new elections were scheduled on February 9, 1947.
Post-Soviet period
The first real electionUkrainian parliamentary election, 1990
The first relatively free parliamentary election held in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic took place in several stages, from March 4 to March 18, 1990. The elections were held to elect deputies to the republic's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada...
to select deputies to the Verkhovna Rada was held March 1990. Although the Communist Party still remained in control, a so-called "Democratic Bloc
Democratic Bloc
Democratic Bloc was a political alliance and an electoral bloc in Ukraine founded during the election campaign to participate in the parliamentary election held during March 4-18, 1990.-History:...
" was formed by numerous parties, including People's Movement of Ukraine
People's Movement of Ukraine
The People's Movement of Ukraine is a Ukrainian center-right political party...
(Rukh), Helsinki Watch Committee of Ukraine
Ukrainian Helsinki Group
The Ukrainian Helsinki Group was founded in November 1976 to monitor human rights in Ukraine. The group was active until 1981 when all members were jailed....
, Party of Greens of Ukraine
Party of Greens of Ukraine
The Party of Greens of Ukraine is a Ukrainian political green party founded in 1990 and registered in May 1991.The party is a successor of the Green World Association and under that name participated in the Ukrainian parliamentary elections of 1990 as part of the Democratic Bloc...
, and many others.
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukrainian SSR of the twelfth convocation proclaimed the state sovereignty
Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine
The Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine was adopted on July 16, 1990 by the recently elected parliament of Ukrainian SSR.The Declaration established the principles of Self-Determination of the Ukrainian Nation, Rule of the People, State Power, Citizenship of the Ukrainian SSR, Territorial...
of Ukraine on July 16, 1990, and declared Ukraine's independence and the creation of the Ukrainian State on August 24, 1991, at approximately 6 p.m. local time. At the time, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada
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...
was 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 Act of Ukrainian Independence was overwhelmingly supported in a national referendum
Ukrainian independence referendum, 1991
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...
held on December 1, 1991.
The Constitution of Ukraine
Constitution of Ukraine
The Constitution of Ukraine is the nation's fundamental law. The constitution was adopted and ratified at the 5th session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on 28 June 1996. The constitution was passed with 315 ayes out of 450 votes possible .Other laws and other normative legal acts of Ukraine...
was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of the thirteenth convocation on June 28, 1996, at approximately 9 a.m. local time. The parliament's fourteenth convocation officially changed the numbering of the convocations proclaiming itself the Verkhovna Rada of the third convocation. After the Orange Revolution
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
, a set of amendments were adopted to the constitution on December 8, 2004, by the Verkhovna Rada of the fourth (fifteenth) convocation. On October 1, 2010 the Constitutional Court of Ukraine
Constitutional Court of Ukraine
The Constitutional Court of Ukraine is the sole body of constitutional jurisdiction in Ukraine. The Constitutional Court of Ukraine interprets the Constitution of Ukraine and decides whether laws and other legal acts are constitutional....
overturned the 2004 Constitutional Amendments, considering them unconstitutional.
In January 2009 the Verkhovna Rada deputies trimmed their financing by 118 million hryvnias
Ukrainian hryvnia
The hryvnia, sometimes hryvnya or grivna ; sign: ₴, code: , has been the national currency of Ukraine since September 2, 1996. The hryvnia is subdivided into 100 kopiyok. In medieval times, it was a currency of Kievan Rus'....
, compared with the year 2008 (amid statements of lawmakers about the necessity triming the expendure of government to fight the current economic crises of Ukraine
2008–2009 Ukrainian financial crisis
Ukraine was hit heavily by the late-2000s recession, the World Bank expects Ukraine's economy to shrink 15% in 2009 with inflation being 16.4%....
). At first the parliament trimmed on details but later, under the pressure of government, lawmakers also trimmed their salaries. However mid-June Ukrainian newspaper DELO
DELO
Delo is a young daily business newspaper in Ukraine, belonging to Ekonomika, a joint-venture of Handelsblatt Publishing Group, Germany, one Czech and two young Ukrainian publishers. The newspaper started in October 2005 as the first independent business daily of Ukraine...
reviled that during a voting on the law on changes in the state budget-2009 (which proposed to finance providing those ill with diabetes with insulin at the expense of the increased excise duty on beer) Verkhovna Rada deputies introduced an amendment into the law and increased the Verkhovna Rada’s budget by 97 million hryvnias this way (as made public by
Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc faction
Political faction
A political faction is a grouping of individuals, such as a political party, a trade union, or other group with a political purpose. A faction or political party may include fragmented sub-factions, “parties within a party," which may be referred to as power blocs, or voting blocs. The individuals...
member Oleh Liashko). President Viktor Yuschenko vetoed the law on June 18, 2009. The president stated that the 100 million hryvnias from the excise should be given to the health care sector instead of the parliament's own expenditures.
The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc faction intended to initiate the abolishment of parliamentary immunity
Parliamentary immunity
Parliamentary immunity, also known as legislative immunity, is a system in which members of the parliament or legislature are granted partial immunity from prosecution. Before prosecuting, it is necessary that the immunity be removed, usually by a superior court of justice or by the parliament itself...
in September 2009 without result.
Fights and incidents
Brawls are not unusual in the Ukrainian parliament. On several occasions work in parliament was blocked by sit-ins by various parties. Recent incidents include the disorder of April 27, 2010, after the parliament ratified the treaty that extended RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
’s Black Sea Fleet
Black Sea Fleet
The Black Sea Fleet is a large operational-strategic sub-unit of the Russian Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the late 18th century. It is based in various harbors of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov....
lease in the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
n port of Sevastopol
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....
until 2042, when parliament speaker
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...
Volodymyr Lytvyn
Volodymyr Lytvyn
Volodymyr Mykhailovych Lytvyn is a Ukrainian politician and the current Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament. Having previously served in that position from 2002 until 2006, he was re-elected in December 2008 after his party agreed to join the former coalition of Yulia...
had to be shielded by umbrellas as he was pelted with eggs
Egging
Egging refers to the act of throwing eggs at houses, cars, or people. Egging is a criminal offence in most areas. The eggs are usually raw, but are sometimes hard-boiled or expired. This can be considered vandalism....
, while smoke bombs exploded and politicians brawled. Another major incident occurred on December 16, 2010 when several Rada members where admitted to hospital after Party of Regions
Party of Regions
The Party of Regions is an Ukrainian political party created on October 26, 1997 just prior to the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections under the name of Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others...
politicians stormed the parliament podium, which was occupied by the Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko faction.
A microphone throwing championship among MPs, organized by the Kyiv independent media trade union, was held outside the building of the Verkhovna Rada on Friday, September 11, 2009 in response to an incident on September 1, 2009 when an Communist MP snatched a microphone from a STB
STB (Channel)
STB is a Ukrainian commercial television network. Today, the coverage area of the network is 85% of Ukraine's territory. It is broadcast in all oblast centers and all Ukrainian cities with a population greater than 50,000...
reporter and threw it downstairs. Several MPs participated.
On May 13, 2010 Lytvyn asked lawmakers to work in the session hall and not to read newspapers there.
Location
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
building
Verkhovna Rada building
The Verkhovna Rada building is located in the center of the capital city of Ukraine Kiev, in the Pechersk Raion. It is the place where the Ukrainian parliament meets for all regular and ceremonial sessions...
on Kiev's Hrushevsky Street. The building adjoins a picturesque park and the 18th century Mariyinsky Palace
Mariyinsky Palace
Mariyinsky Palace is an official ceremonial residence of the President of Ukraine in Kiev and adjoins the neo-classical building of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine...
, designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli
Bartolomeo Rastrelli
Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli was an Italian architect naturalized Russian. He developed an easily recognizable style of Late Baroque, both sumptuous and majestic...
, which serves as the official residence of the 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...
.
After the transfer of the capital of the Ukrainian SSR from Kharkiv
Kharkiv
Kharkiv or Kharkov is the second-largest city in Ukraine.The city was founded in 1654 and was a major centre of Ukrainian culture in the Russian Empire. Kharkiv became the first city in Ukraine where the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed in December 1917 and Soviet government was...
to Kiev in 1934, a whole set of government buildings was planned for the city. In 1936, a contest for the construction of the new parliament building was won by architect Volodymyr Zabolotny.
Construction for the original building was done from 1936-38. Having been destroyed in the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the building was reconstructed in its original style in 1945-1947, with the glass dome being rebuilt one metre higher than the original one.
Mission and authority
The Verkhovna Rada is the sole body of legislativeLegislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
power in Ukraine. The parliament determines the principles of domestic and foreign policy, introduces amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine
Constitution of Ukraine
The Constitution of Ukraine is the nation's fundamental law. The constitution was adopted and ratified at the 5th session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on 28 June 1996. The constitution was passed with 315 ayes out of 450 votes possible .Other laws and other normative legal acts of Ukraine...
, adopts laws, approves the state budget
Budget
A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
, designates elections of the 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...
, impeaches the president, declares war and peace, appoints the Prime Minister of Ukraine
Prime Minister of Ukraine
The Prime Minister of Ukraine is Ukraine's head of government presiding over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the highest body of the executive branch of the Ukrainian government....
, appoints or approves appointment of certain officials, appoints one-third of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine
Constitutional Court of Ukraine
The Constitutional Court of Ukraine is the sole body of constitutional jurisdiction in Ukraine. The Constitutional Court of Ukraine interprets the Constitution of Ukraine and decides whether laws and other legal acts are constitutional....
, elects judges for permanent terms, ratifies and denounces international treaties, and exercises certain control functions.
Voting for other deputies is prohibited by law. Deputies have stated they could not have taken part in votes although their votes were registered in parliament. A bill on introducing voting of lawmakers with help of a touch-sensitive key
Key (lock)
A key is an instrument that is used to operate a lock. A typical key consists of two parts: the blade, which slides into the keyway of the lock and distinguishes between different keys, and the bow, which is left protruding so that torque can be applied by the user. The blade is usually intended to...
was not passed in mid-March 2011. In April 2011 a vote of a deputy was registered although the man had died four days before the voting.
Oath of office
Before assuming office, the Verkhovna Rada's deputies must take the following oath before the parliament:In original Ukrainian:
In English translation:
When the work of the parliament is blocked during plenary meetings wages are not credited to deputies.
Composition
The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral legislature with 450 national deputies elected on the basis of equal and direct universal suffrage through a secret ballot.Presidium
The presidium of Verkhovna Rada was elected at the very first sessions of each convocation. Originally it consisted of a chairman, couple of the chairman's deputies, a secretary, and 19 other members. Later composition of the presidium changed. The presidium was regulated by the Statute 106 of the Constitution of Ukraine (1978).Parliamentary factions, groups, and parties
Only 15 or more deputies can form a parliamentary faction, a lawmaker can join only one faction (the chairman and his two assistants cannot head factions of deputies). Deputies who are expelled from factions or decide to leave them become individual lawmakers; individual deputies are allowed to unite into parliamentary groups of people's deputies then again at least 15 deputies are required for the formation of such groups. Several influential parties have been founded after they had already founded a faction in the Verkhovna Rada, examples of this are the Party of RegionsParty of Regions
The Party of Regions is an Ukrainian political party created on October 26, 1997 just prior to the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections under the name of Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others...
, All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" and Labour Ukraine
Labour Ukraine
Strong Ukraine ; former Labour Party Ukraine , is a political party in Ukraine registered in August 1999. The party claims to have over 80,000 members as of mid-May 2010. It is currently negotiating a merge with the Party of Regions....
.
Currently, six parties and blocs are represented in the Verkhovna Rada: the Party of Regions, the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT), the Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc (OU-PSD), the Communist Party of Ukraine
Communist Party of Ukraine
The Communist Party of Ukraine is a political party in Ukraine, currently led by Petro Symonenko.The party fights the Ukrainian national self-determination by identifying any Ukrainian national parties as the National-Fascist ones The Communist Party of Ukraine is a political party in Ukraine,...
(CPU), and the Lytvyn Bloc. On November 16, 2010 the ByuT faction was officially renamed “Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko-Batkivschyna”. Three days later the Lytvyn Bloc faction was officially renamed People's Party
People's Party (Ukraine)
The People's Party is a political party in Ukraine. It was previously named as the Agrarian Party of Ukraine . The party is led by Volodymyr Lytvyn...
faction. On February 16, 2011 a new parliamentary faction Reforms for the Future
Reforms for the Future
Reforms for the Future is a Ukrainian deputy group turned faction in its national parliament Verkhovna Rada created on February 16, 2011. Deputy Ihor Rybakov , is the groups faction leader. The faction supports the Azarov Government...
was created.
Each parliamentary faction or group is headed by its leader. Parliamentarians may become unaffiliated from the initially elected faction and realigned under a different parliamentary group or defecting into another faction. In 2000s in Verkhovna Rada has formed three major camps: Social-Nationalistic, Big business conservative, and small third parties (often Communist-oriented). The Social-Nationalistic camp was composed out of small National-Democratic parties and the Social-Democratic BYuT; the Big business conservative camp was represented by a single party, the Party of Regions
Party of Regions
The Party of Regions is an Ukrainian political party created on October 26, 1997 just prior to the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections under the name of Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others...
; other smaller "third parties" were mostly left-wing oriented or pro-agrarian choosing to be associated with either of bigger factions. Recently there has established a term for such lawmakers - "tushky" which is a sort of derogatory word meaning "bodies". The term is applied to independent members of parliament who unaffiliated themselves after being initially elected to the parliament through a certain parliamentary faction.
Women make up 8.5 percent of the parliament compared to an average of 30 percent in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Several millionaires are member of Rada factions.
14 Rada lawmakers missed all 51 parliament sessions in 2010.
Deputies
According to the "Law of Ukraine about elections of national deputies of Ukraine" a national deputy may become a citizen of Ukraine who on the day of elections a) reached 21 years of age; b) has the right to vote; c) resided in Ukraine for the last five years.Verkhovna Rada deputies have the right to free transportation, free use of the hall of official delegations, free housing, free medical services and free vacations at health spas. The Ukrainian President, Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Ukraine
The Prime Minister of Ukraine is Ukraine's head of government presiding over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the highest body of the executive branch of the Ukrainian government....
, members of the government
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
The Cabinet of Ukraine is the highest body of state executive power in Ukraine also referred to as the Government of Ukraine...
and the Verkhovna Rada deputies also have parliamentary immunity
Parliamentary immunity
Parliamentary immunity, also known as legislative immunity, is a system in which members of the parliament or legislature are granted partial immunity from prosecution. Before prosecuting, it is necessary that the immunity be removed, usually by a superior court of justice or by the parliament itself...
(law enforcement also cannot search their homes or follow them.). During the Orange Revolution
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
and the campaign for the 2007 parliamentary election
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2007
Early parliamentary elections in Ukraine took place on 30 September 2007. The date of the election was determined following agreement between the President Viktor Yushchenko, the Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Moroz on 27 May 2007, in an attempt...
Party of Regions, OU-PSD and BYuT all promised to strip lawmakers of there parliamentary immunity. June 2008 the parliament failed to adopt the bill on restriction of privileges for deputies and introduction of imperative mandate
Imperative mandate
Imperative mandate is a political system in which parliamentary deputies can only enact policies in accordance with concretely transmitted preference by their electors. The institution of imperative mandate has been rarely applied. Some political scientists have argued an imperative mandate would...
. 192 people's deputies voted "for" the bill submitted by the BYuT faction out of 436 deputies registered in the session hall. The factions of the opposition Party of Regions, as well as the CPU and the Lytvyn Bloc voted against, the OU-PSD faction voted partially "for" and the BYUT faction voted (fully) "for". A proposal to send the bill for the first reading for the second time did also not find support. In May 2009 the second Tymoshenko Government
Second Tymoshenko Government
The second Tymoshenko Government was appointed on December 18, 2007 as a coalition between Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko and Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense Bloc , OU-PSD is the party of then-President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko, following the 2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election...
approved a bill amending the law on the status of a people's deputies of Ukraine, this bill reduces certain privileges for incumbent deputies and former deputies.
The deputies possess full personal legal immunity
Parliamentary immunity
Parliamentary immunity, also known as legislative immunity, is a system in which members of the parliament or legislature are granted partial immunity from prosecution. Before prosecuting, it is necessary that the immunity be removed, usually by a superior court of justice or by the parliament itself...
during the term of office. On the one hand, this may help certain individuals avoid criminal responsibility; on the other hand, the immunity serves as a guarantee for the existence of political opposition
Opposition (politics)
In politics, the opposition comprises one or more political parties or other organized groups that are opposed to the government , party or group in political control of a city, region, state or country...
. In cases of egregious malfeasance, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine
Prosecutor General of Ukraine
The Prosecutor General of Ukraine heads the system of official prosecution in courts known as the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine...
or the Head of the Supreme Court of Ukraine
Supreme Court of Ukraine
The Supreme Court of Ukraine is the highest judicial body in the system of courts of general jurisdiction in Ukraine.The Court derives its authority from the Constitution of Ukraine, but much of its structure is outlined in legislation...
can request that a deputy's immunity be revoked; the decision whether to revoke is up to the Verkhovna Rada. Deputies can also tend in there resignation themselves.
As of March 25, 2010 no deputy's immunity or their privileges were revoked. Individual deputies can be stripped of their immunity if a bill to strip their rights is passed by the Verkhovna Rada.
Speakers and vice-speakers
Speaker (politics)
The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the...
; ), the First Deputy Chairman, and the Deputy Chairman.
Before the Chairman of a newly convoked Rada is elected, parliamentary session
Parliamentary session
A legislative session is the period of time in which a legislature, in both parliamentary and presidential systems, is convened for purpose of lawmaking, usually being one of two or more smaller divisions of the entire time between two elections...
s are presided over by members of a temporary presidium of the first session . The temporary presidium is composed of five deputies, representing the four largest parliamentary fractions plus the chairman of a preparatory deputy group of the first parliamentary session, however the Rada may enact an ad hoc
Ad hoc
Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning "for this". It generally signifies a solution designed for a specific problem or task, non-generalizable, and not intended to be able to be adapted to other purposes. Compare A priori....
deviation from this composition rule.
The Chairman presides over parliamentary sessions, signs bills and sends them to the President
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...
for promulgation
Promulgation
Promulgation is the act of formally proclaiming or declaring a new statutory or administrative law after its enactment. In some jurisdictions this additional step is necessary before the law can take effect....
, signs and promulgates parliamentary acts (other than bills), organises staff work, etc. The chairman is also allowed to call special session
Special session
In a legislature, a special session is a period when the body convenes outside of the normal legislative session. This most frequently occurs in order to complete unfinished tasks for the year , such as outlining the government's budget for the next fiscal year, biennium, or other period...
s of parliament, enact bills veto
Veto
A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is the power of an officer of the state to unilaterally stop an official action, especially enactment of a piece of legislation...
ed by the president
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...
only when the Verkhovna Rada votes to overcome the veto by a two-thirds majority, and participate in meetings of the National Security and Defence Council.
In case the post of the President of Ukraine becomes vacant, the Chairman of the Rada becomes acting head of state with limited authority. For instance, the acting president cannot dissolve the parliament, appoint or submit for parliamentary approval candidates for many key official posts, grant military ranks or state orders, or exercise the right of pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
. The Constitution and Ukrainian legislation contain no provisions for presidential succession in case the posts of President and Chairman of the Rada are both vacant.
Office of Ombudsman
The Office of Ombudsman at the Verkhovna Rada was established in 1998 since then was headed by Nina KarpachovaNina Karpachova
Nina Karpachova is a Ukrainian lawyer and politician. She has been Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights since 1998.-Before politics:...
. The office has its own secretariat and advising council.
Committees
Verkhovna Rada has many parliamentary committees composed of various deputies. The sixth session of the council (2007–2012) had 28 committees among the most popular were the Budget Committee, the Special Control Commission of Verkhovna Rada in Privatization, and the Committee in Transportation and Communications. There are no permanent or standing committeeStanding Committee
In the United States Congress, standing committees are permanent legislative panels established by the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate rules. . Because they have legislative jurisdiction, standing committees consider bills and issues and recommend measures for...
s, but most of committees are being reformed from one convocation to another. One of the most important is the Verkhovna Rada committee on Budget.
Ukrainian PACE delegation
Ukraine was accepted as a full member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of EuropeParliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe , which held its first session in Strasbourg on 10 August 1949, can be considered the oldest international parliamentary assembly with a pluralistic composition of democratically elected members of parliament established on the basis of an...
(PACE) in 1995.
It is represented there by the parliamentary delegation of Verkhovna Rada consisting of 12 representatives including the chairperson of delegation and the vice-chairperson and their 12 substitutes; in total, 24 members. Ukrainian delegation also has its own permanent secretariat of four members that assist in the inter-parliamentary relationships between PACE and Verkhovna Rada. The current chairperson of the delegation is Mr. Ivan Popescu (PR
Party of Regions
The Party of Regions is an Ukrainian political party created on October 26, 1997 just prior to the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections under the name of Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others...
), while Mrs. Olha Herasymiyuk (OU) is the vice-chairperson. For the full list of members, refer to the PACE main website at assembly.coe.int.
Elections
Dramatic political developments in Ukraine have caused repeated changes of the parliamentary electoral system. Each convocationConvocation
A Convocation is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose.- University use :....
of the Verkhovna Rada has been elected under a different set of laws (gradually evolving from the purely majoritarian scheme of the Soviet era to a purely proportional scheme
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
, effective in 2006 under the transitional provisions of the constitutional amendments).
In the 1990
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 1990
The first relatively free parliamentary election held in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic took place in several stages, from March 4 to March 18, 1990. The elections were held to elect deputies to the republic's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada...
and 1994 elections
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 1994
The first parliamentary election in independent Ukraine took place in 1994. The elections were conducted for the second convocation of the Parliament regarding the previous one as temporary and transitional....
, all 450 MPs were elected by majority voting. At the time, Ukraine was divided in 450 electoral districts. Each district sent 1 MP to parliament. In order to win the election, a candidate needed more than 50% of the votes. If no candidate had 50%, then the two candidates with the most votes ran in a second round.
In the 1998
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 1998
The second Ukrainian parliamentary election after the collapse of the Soviet Union took place on 29 March 1998. In comparison to the first parliamentary election, this time half of 450 parliament seats were filled by single-seat majority winners in 225 electoral regions , and the other half were...
and 2002 elections
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2002
Ukrainian parliamentary election of 2002 took place on March 31. Half of the deputies to Verkhovna Rada were elected on proportional basis, while the other half were elected by popular vote in single-mandate constituencies...
, 225 MPs were elected by majority voting as earlier (with the exception, that the candidate needed only a simple majority to win). Another 225 MPs were elected on a proportional basis
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
. These seats were divided between the parties who obtained 4% or greater support in the general election.
From the 2006 election
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2006
The Ukrainian parliamentary election took place on March 26, 2006. Election campaigning officially began on July 7, 2005. Between November 26 and December 31, 2005 party lists of candidates were formed....
and onward, all deputies were elected on a proportional basis. All seats were divided between the parties that obtained 3% or more support of voters. For the 2007 election
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2007
Early parliamentary elections in Ukraine took place on 30 September 2007. The date of the election was determined following agreement between the President Viktor Yushchenko, the Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Moroz on 27 May 2007, in an attempt...
, the threshold percentage was not changed, but some amendments to the election process were made.
Latest election
On April 2, 2007, Viktor YushchenkoViktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
, the 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...
, dissolved parliament and signed the presidential decree ordering early parliamentary elections in Ukraine to be held on May 27, 2007, which later triggered a political crisis
2007 Ukrainian political crisis
The political crisis in Ukraine lasted from April to June of 2007 was part of political stand off between coalition and opposition factions of Verkhovna Rada that led to the unscheduled Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2007...
. However, the election was later postponed to June 24, 2007. The Rada has called this decree unconstitutional, prevented funds allocation for elections and continued to function.
After more than 1/3 of the deputes resigned and the President
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...
, Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Ukraine
The Prime Minister of Ukraine is Ukraine's head of government presiding over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the highest body of the executive branch of the Ukrainian government....
and Chairman reached an agreement the election was scheduled on September 30, 2007.
Summary of the 30 September 2007 Verkhovna Rada election results
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2007
Early parliamentary elections in Ukraine took place on 30 September 2007. The date of the election was determined following agreement between the President Viktor Yushchenko, the Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Moroz on 27 May 2007, in an attempt...
|-
|bgcolor="#E9E9E9"|
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=left valign=top |Parties and blocs
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Votes
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|%
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Seats
!style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|+/–
|-
!bgcolor="SteelBlue"|
|align=left|Party of Regions
Party of Regions
The Party of Regions is an Ukrainian political party created on October 26, 1997 just prior to the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections under the name of Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others...
(Партія регіонів)
|valign=top|8,013,895
|valign=top|34.37
|valign=top|175
|valign=top|–11
|-
!bgcolor="Crimson"|
|align=left|Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (Блок Юлії Тимошенко)
- All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland"
- Ukrainian Social Democratic PartyUkrainian Social Democratic Party-History:The party was founded in 1998 when the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine and Party of Human Rights were united. The first leader of the party was Vasyl Onopenko who in the Presidential elections in 1999 got 0,47% of the votes. Since November 2006 Yevhen Korniychuk is the chairman of the...
- Reforms and Order PartyReforms and Order Party-History:The party was organized in October 1997 as a right-wing party, led by ex-vice Prime Minister Viktor Pynzenyk. And it was registered as the fiftieth political party in the history of Ukrainian modern politics....
|valign=top|7,162,193
|valign=top|30.71
|valign=top|156
|valign=top|+27
|-
! bgcolor="Orange"|
|align=left|Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc (Блок Наша Україна–Народна Самооборона)
|
Christian Democratic Union (Ukraine) The Christian Democratic Union is a political party in Ukraine. On December 2, 2002, in Athens, Greece the party became a member of Centrist Democrat International. It is negotiated now its associated membership in the European People's Party... European Party of Ukraine The European Party of Ukraine is a Ukrainian political party that has a centre-right/liberal character.-History:In the parliamentary elections on 30 September 2007, the party was part of the Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc alliance, that won 72 out of 450 seats.The party supported Yulia... Pora PORA! , meaning IT'S TIME! in Ukrainian, is a civic youth organization and political party in Ukraine espousing nonviolent resistance and advocating increased national democracy... Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists The Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists is a right-wing political party in Ukraine. It was founded on October 18, 1992 and registered with the Ministry of Justice on January 26, 1993. The party leader from its formation and until her death in 2003 was Yaroslava Stetsko .-History:During the 1998... Motherland Defenders Party The Motherland Defenders Party is a political party in Ukraine registered in July 1997.-Election results:The party ran independent in the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections in which it won 0.30% of the votes and no seats... |
|valign=top|3,301,282
|valign=top|14.15
|valign=top|72
|valign=top|–9
|-
! bgcolor="Red"|
|align=left|Communist Party of Ukraine
Communist Party of Ukraine
The Communist Party of Ukraine is a political party in Ukraine, currently led by Petro Symonenko.The party fights the Ukrainian national self-determination by identifying any Ukrainian national parties as the National-Fascist ones The Communist Party of Ukraine is a political party in Ukraine,...
(Комуністична партія України)
|valign=top|1,257,291
|valign=top|5.39
|valign=top|27
|valign=top|+6
|-
! bgcolor="SpringGreen"|
|align=left|Lytvyn Bloc (Блок Литвина)
- People's PartyPeople's Party (Ukraine)The People's Party is a political party in Ukraine. It was previously named as the Agrarian Party of Ukraine . The party is led by Volodymyr Lytvyn...
- Labour Party of Ukraine
|valign=top|924,538
|valign=top|3.96
|valign=top|20
|valign=top|+20
|-
! bgcolor="DeepPink"|
|align=left|Socialist Party of Ukraine
Socialist Party of Ukraine
The Socialist Party of Ukraine is a Socialist political party in Ukraine and part of the Verkhovna Rada from 1994 to 2007.It is one of the oldest parties and was created by the former members of the Communist Party of Ukraine in late 1991 when the Communist Party was banned...
(Соціалістична партія України)
|valign=top|668,234
|valign=top|2.86
|valign=top|0
|valign=top|–33
|-
|bgcolor="#f9f9f9"|
|align=left|Others
|valign=top|
|valign=top|
|valign=top|—
|valign=top|—
|-
|bgcolor="#f9f9f9"|
|align=left|Against all
|valign=top|637,185
|valign=top|2.73
|valign=top|—
|valign=top|—
|-
|bgcolor="#f9f9f9"|
|align=left|Invalid ballot papers
|valign=top|379,658
|valign=top|1.62
|valign=top|—
|valign=top|—
|-
|bgcolor="#E9E9E9"|
|align=left style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Total (turnout 62.02%)
|width="75" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|23,315,257
|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|100
|width="30" align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|450
|valign=top align="right" style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|—
|-
|colspan=5 align=left|Source: Central Election Commission of Ukraine (English)
|}
Factional changes after 2007 election
Numerous MPsMPS
MPS may refer to:* Robinson List, aka Mail Preference Service, direct mail opt-out system* Malmin Palloseura, association football club from Helsinki, Finland.* Marginal propensity to save* Master Production Schedule...
have been removed from their original faction after the last election; several left their (original) faction to join another fraction in October 2010.
See also
- Supreme SovietSupreme SovietThe Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union was the Supreme Soviet in the Soviet Union and the only one with the power to pass constitutional amendments...
of the Soviet Union - Rada TVRada TVParliamentary TV-channel «RADA» is an official television channel of the Ukrainian parliament: the Verkhovna Rada. It shows live broadcasts of the parliament's meetings, and others programs related to the law-making process....
, video broadcasts of the Verkhovna Rada - Tsentralna RadaTsentralna RadaThe Tsentralna Rada or Central Rada at first was the All-Ukrainian council that united political, public, cultural, professional organizations. Later after the All-Ukrainian National Congress that council became the revolutionary parliament of Ukraine...
Center for Adaptation of Civil Service to the Standards of EU
Center for Adaptation of Civil Service to the Standards of EU
Center for Adaptation of the Civil Service to the Standards of the European Union was established under by the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine # 485 of 14 April 2004 in order to ensure informational and analytical, expert and organizational support for...
- public institution established by the Decree of Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
The Cabinet of Ukraine is the highest body of state executive power in Ukraine also referred to as the Government of Ukraine...
to facilitate administrative reform in Ukraine and to enhance the adaptation of the civil service to the standards of the European Union.