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Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (; English: Supreme Council) is the official name of Ukraine's unicameral parliament. The national Verkhovna Rada should not be confused with the Crimean Verkhovna Rada, the legislature of Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
Name The name as a whole originates from a Soviet political tradition where a vertical system of Soviets (councils, rady) existed. Verkhovna, an adjective of feminine gender, is a neologism of the second quarter of the 20th century. It was borrowed from Russian and means "supreme". However, few native speakers will now recognize its foreign origin. Rada, a noun of feminine gender, is an authentic Ukrainian word meaning "council", which has common root with Latin ratio. Since at least Middle Ages it signifies a group of individuals who gathered for the purpose of electing an official or enacting legislation. History The first convocation of the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Ukrainian SSR) assembled for the first session in 1938. 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 6pm local time. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the thirteenth convocation adopted the Constitution of Ukraine on June 28, 1996, at approximately 9am local time. The parliament of the fourteenth convocation officially changed the numbering of the convocations proclaiming itself the Verkhovna Rada of the third convocation. The Verkhovna Rada of the fourth (fifteenth) convocation amended the Constitution on December 8, 2004. Meeting place The parliament meets in a neo-classical building on Kiev's Hrushevskoho St., which adjoins a picturesque park and the rastrelliesque 18th century Mariyinsky Palace (the ceremonial residence of the President). Image:Verkhovna Rada face.jpg|Facade of the building Image:Verkhovna rada kyiv.jpg|The front door Image:Verkhovna Rada back.jpg|Back of the building Image:Verkhovna Rada.jpg|Facade, 2005 Image:VR URSR 1938.JPG|Verkhovna Rada of Ukrainian SSR. 1938 Image:Verkhovna Rada inside.jpg|Inside, April 2004 Image:VRU Jan23 2005 results.jpg|Inside, January 2005 Inauguration Mission and authority The Verkhovna Rada is the sole body of legislative power in Ukraine. The parliament determines the principles of domestic and foreign policy, introduces amendments to the constitution, adopts laws, approves the state budget, designates elections of the President of Ukraine, impeaches the president, declares war and peace, gives consent to the appointment of 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. Composition The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral legislature with 450 deputies (Ukrainian singular: народний депутат, narodnyy deputat) elected on the basis of equal and direct universal suffrage through a secret ballot. The deputies possess a 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. Speakers and vice-speakers The parliament elects from among its ranks the Chairman (Speaker, Ukrainian: Голова Верховної Ради), the First Deputy Chairman, and the Deputy Chairman. Before the Chairman of a newly convoced Rada is elected, parliamentary meetings are presided over by members of a temporary presidium of the first session (). The temporary presidium is composed of five deputies, representing 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 at parliamentary meetings, signs bills and sends them to the President for promulgation, signs and promulgates parliamentary acts (other than bills), organises staff work, etc. The Constitution also authorizes the Chairman to sign into law and promulgate bills vetoed by the President when the Rada by a two-thirds majority overcomes the veto, but the President still refuses to promulgate the law. 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 disband 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. Chairmen The following table includes the Chairmen of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (since 1991), the Chairmen of Supreme Soviet of Ukrainian SSR (1990-1991, 1938), and the Chairmen of Presidium of Supreme Soviet of Ukrainian SSR (1938-1990). Elections Dramatic political development of Ukraine has caused recurrent changes of the parliamentary electoral system. Each convocation 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). The acting parliament was formed in 2002 according to a mixed majoritarian and proportional representation system. Under the election law of 2001 (as well as the previous electoral law of 1997), 225 of the Rada's seats were allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gained 4% of the national vote in the parliamentary elections of 2002. The other 225 members were elected by popular vote in single-mandate constituencies. Latest election Previous elections See also | ||||||||
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