
Constitution
The Constitution of Ukraine was adopted at the Fifth Session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on June 28, 1996.
Later on the Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma made attempts to change the Constitution by virtue of a nation-wide referendum. It was held on April 16, 2000 and suggested giving the President a right to dissolve the Verkhovna Rada in case the Parliament rejects the State Budget within three months and fails to form a parliamentary majority within a month. Though the results of the referendum were positive, the Verkhovna Rada refused to introduce the appropriate amendments to the Constitution.
Political reform aimed at widening the Parliament authorities at the cost of restriction of the President authorities had become the second attempt to amend the Constitution. The draft law on introducing constitution amendments, submitted by President Kuchma on April 7, 2004 missed 6 votes.
On December 8, 2004, during the political crisis in Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada passed amendments to the Constitution. As a result, Ukraine became a parliamentary-presidential republic. The Verkhovna Rada was conferred the right to form the Cabinet of Ministers by a parliamentary majority; the term of office of the Parliament was extended up to 5 years. The constitution amendments came into effect on January 1, 2006.
The Constitution of Ukraine Zip (39 Kb)
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