History of Ukrainian parliament

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE OF UKRAINE VOLYN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY NAMED AFTER LESYA UKRAINKA

Department of Foreign Language and Humanities

INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH TASK ON TOPIC:

"HISTORY OF UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT"

PREPARED:

1 COURSE

14 GROUP

KHRYSTYNA TSYPLIUK

CHECKED BY:

N.P. YATSYSHYN

ASSOCSATE PROFESSOR, CANDIDATE OF

PEDAGOGICAL SCIENCES

LUTSK 2023

Introduction

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (VRU) is the sole legislative body of state power in Ukraine, which has a collegial structure and consists of four hundred and fifty People's Deputies of Ukraine, elected for a term of five years on the basis of universal, equal, and direct suffrage by secret ballot.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is the only legislative body empowered to enact laws.

The powers of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine are exercised through the joint activities of the People's Deputies of Ukraine at the sessions of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine during its sessions.

The powers of the People's Deputies of Ukraine are determined by the Constitution and laws of Ukraine. People's Deputies of Ukraine may voluntarily unite into factions.

The history of parliamentarism in independent Ukraine is relatively short compared to global standards, spanning only 25 years. However, it compensates for its youth with the richness of its experiences and the intensity of its events. Over eight incomplete convocations, a total of 3,813 deputies have served in the Ukrainian Parliament. They have submitted 24,687 draft laws, of which 4,091 have been enacted. The Ukrainian Parliaments have been dissolved prematurely twice: on June 5, 2007, by Viktor Yushchenko, and on August 25, 2014, by Petro Poroshenko. But these are surface-level facts, and we aim to delve deeper into the topic to uncover more intriguing insights.

Part 1: Diets and Councils

The roots of Ukrainian parliamentarism trace back to the Old Russian era, particularly the assemblies of medieval communities or cities. During the 15th century, amid the Lithuanian-Polish era, the practice of convening meetings of the nobility—known as seyms—emerged in Ukrainian territories. These diets varied in scale, ranging from local Zemstvo assemblies to national Diets. By the 16th century, influenced by the noble sejm and elements of the Old Russian vich, the tradition of Cossack councils began to take shape in Ukraine. Until the early 17th century, the General Military Council served as the primary governing body among the Cossacks in the Zaporizhzhya Army. Additionally, there were councils of elders, involving only the Cossack elite, and black councils, which included commoners alongside Cossacks. Following the division of the Zaporizhzhya Army into city and grassroots factions, the All-Army Council remained the governing body for the latter. Conversely, city Cossacks typically addressed major issues in senior or black councils. Black councils ceased to be held in the 18th century. The traditions of noble and Cossack parliamentarism persisted through noble assemblies of various levels in the Russian Empire and Cossack councils in the Kuban region.

Part 2: Ukrainian Central Rada

The earliest precursor to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine was the Central Council of the Ukrainian People's Republic, established on March 17, 1917. It initiated the development of Ukrainian statehood by issuing Universals. The IV Universal, ratified on January 22, 1918, which declared the creation of the Constitution of Ukraine as one of its crucial tasks, stands out as particularly significant. During the final session of the Central Rada on April 29, 1918, the draft Constitution of the Ukrainian People's Republic, titled "Statute on the State Organization, Rights, and Freedoms of the Ukrainian People's Republic," was adopted. Another predecessor to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine was the Congress of Farmers-Landowners, attended by 8,000 delegates in Kyiv on April 29, 1918. This congress proclaimed Pavlo Skoropadskyi as the Hetman of Ukraine and announced the "Laws on the Provisional State System of Ukraine" on the same day, intending to serve as the state's Constitution until the convocation of the Diet, which, however, never materialized. According to this interim Constitution, power in Ukraine was vested in the Hetman, who appointed the Chief of the Council of Ministers, with his Cabinet subject to the Hetman's approval.

Part 3: Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR

The immediate constitutional forerunner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine was the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR. The inaugural Ukrainian Soviet Parliament was convened in 1938, replacing the All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee, the highest legislative body of Soviet Ukraine since 1917, which was the principal adversary of the Ukrainian Central Council during the Soviet-Ukrainian War of 1917-1921. The Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR was elected by the republic's citizens based on universal, equal, and direct suffrage, although the elections were heavily controlled by the Communist Party of Ukraine. Over its history, the Parliament convened 11 times, with the number of deputies initially set at 650, later reduced to 450 after 1989. The term of office was four years, and communists comprised 60% to 70% of its membership. The final elections to the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR during the Soviet Union's existence took place in 1990. Following the adoption of the Act of Proclamation of Independence of Ukraine, it transformed into the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. On September 4, 1991, after three votes and Leonid Kravchuk's ultimatum threatening resignation, the blue-yellow national flag of Ukraine was ceremoniously raised above the parliament building alongside the state flag of the Ukrainian SSR.

Part 4. After Gaining Independence

According to the Constitution, the sole legislative body in Ukraine is the Verkhovna Rada—a representative body whose deputies are elected by the population through universal, equal, and direct suffrage by secret ballot. The Verkhovna Rada is empowered to consider and resolve any issues not within the competence of state executive or judicial authorities. Those matters that do not fall under its jurisdiction are decided exclusively through an all-Ukrainian referendum. The procedures for appointing, preparing, and conducting a referendum, as well as determining its outcomes, are outlined in the Law of Ukraine dated July 3, 1991, "On All-Ukrainian and Local Referendums."