Ukraine: Government

Ukraine is governed under the constitution of 1996. The president, who is the head of state, is popularly elected for a five-year term and is eligible for a second term. The government is headed by the prime minister, who along with the cabinet is named by president. The unicameral legislature consists of the 450-seat Supreme Council (Verkhovna Rada), whose members are elected to serve five-year terms. All parties that win at least 3% of the national vote in the parliamentary election are awarded seats on a proportional basis. Administratively, Ukraine is divided into 24 provinces or oblasts, two municipalities with oblast status (Kiev and Sevastopol, the latter occupied and annexed by Russia in 2014), and one autonomous republic (Crimea, similarly annexed in 2014).

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• An Independent Nation
• Ukraine and the USSR
• The Struggle for Autonomy
• Early History
• Government
• Economy
• Land and People
• Bibliography

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