Editing Politics of Ukraine (section)

==Constitution and fundamental freedoms==
{{see also|Constitution of Ukraine}}
Shortly after becoming [[independent (nation)|independent]] in 1991, Ukraine named a parliamentary commission to prepare a new [[constitution]], adopted a [[multi-party system]], and adopted legislative guarantees of [[civil rights|civil and political rights]] for national minorities. A new, democratic constitution was adopted on 28 June 1996, which mandates a pluralistic political system with protection of basic [[human rights]] and [[civil liberties|liberties]], and a [[presidentialism|semi-presidential form of government]].

The Constitution was amended in December 2004<ref>{{Cite Ukrainian law|type=Verkhovna Rada decree|number=2222-IV|law=2222-15|name=About the amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine|date=2004-12-08}}</ref> to ease the resolution of the [[2004 Ukrainian presidential election|2004 presidential election crisis]]. The [[consociationalist]] agreement transformed the [[form of government]] in a [[semi-presidentialism]] in which the [[president of Ukraine]] had to [[Cohabitation (government)|cohabit]] with a powerful [[Prime Minister of Ukraine|prime minister]]. The Constitutional Amendments took force between January and May 2006.

The [[Constitutional Court of Ukraine]] in October 2010 overturned the 2004 amendments, considering them unconstitutional.<ref>[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/84619/ Update: Return to 1996 Constitution strengthens president, raises legal questions], [[Kyiv Post]] (1 October 2010)</ref> On 18 November 2010, The [[Venice Commission]] published its report titled ''The Opinion of the Constitutional Situation in Ukraine in Review of the Judgement of Ukraine's Constitutional Court'', in which it stated "It also considers highly unusual that far-reaching constitutional amendments, including the change of the political system of the country - from a parliamentary system to a parliamentary presidential one - are declared unconstitutional by a decision of the Constitutional Court after a period of 6 years. ... As Constitutional Courts are bound by the Constitution and do not stand above it, such decisions raise important questions of democratic legitimacy and the rule of law".<ref>Opinion on the constitutional situation in Ukraine dated 20 December 2010 - Source [[Venice Commission]] http://www.venice.coe.int/WebForms/documents/?pdf=CDL-AD(2010)044-e</ref>

On 21 February 2014, the parliament passed a law that reinstated the 8 December 2004 amendments of the constitution.<ref name="bt2004UCIU21214"/> This was passed under simplified procedure without any decision of the relevant committee and was passed in the first and the second reading in one voting by 386 deputies.<ref name="bt2004UCIU21214"/> The law was approved by 140 MPs of the [[Party of Regions]], 89 MPs of [[Batkivshchyna]], 40 MPs of [[UDAR]], 32 of the [[Communist Party of Ukraine|Communist Party]], and 50 independent lawmakers.<ref name="bt2004UCIU21214">[http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/191727.html Ukrainian parliament reinstates 2004 Constitution], [[Interfax-Ukraine]] (21 February 2014)</ref>  According to [[Radio Free Europe]], however, the measure was not signed by the then-president [[Viktor Yanukovych]], who was subsequently removed from office.<ref name=RadioFreeEurope>{{cite web|last=Sindelar |first=Daisy |url=http://www.rferl.org/content/was-yanukovychs-ouster-constitutional/25274346.html |title=Was Yanukovych's Ouster Constitutional? |publisher=Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty (Rferl.org) |date=23 February 2014 |access-date=25 February 2014 |quote=Yanukovych, however, failed to sign the measure.}}</ref>

On 3 September 2019, new amendments to the Constitution were passed which abolished the [[parliamentary immunity]] for the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada, with the exception that they were immune for the results of voting or their statements in the parliament, but they are liable for insult or defamation.<ref>[https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/volodimir-zelenskij-pidpisav-zakon-pro-skasuvannya-deputatsk-57181 "Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the law abolishing parliamentary immunity"] (11 September 2019). Official website of the President of Ukraine.</ref> New revision came into force on 1 January 2020.<ref>[https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/27-20/ed20221101#Text "Regarding the immunity of people's deputies of Ukraine"] (2019-09-03) (in Ukrainian). [https://www.rada.gov.ua/en Official webportal of the Parliament of Ukraine]</ref>

===Fundamental Freedoms and basic elements of constitutional system===
Article 1 of the Constitution establishes Ukraine as a sovereign and independent, democratic, social, law-based state.<ref name="UAConstitutionENG">[https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/en/254к/96-вр/ed20200101#Text Constitution of Ukraine] (2020-01-01 revision). Official translation (2021-05-27 version). [https://www.rada.gov.ua/en Official webportal of the Parliament of Ukraine]</ref>

Article 5 of the Constitution defines Ukraine as a republic. The people are the bearer of sovereignty and the sole source of power in Ukraine, and exercise power directly and through the government authorities and local government. No one must usurp state power.<ref name="UAConstitutionENG" />

Article 15 of the Constitution states that social life in Ukraine must be based on the principles of political, economic, and ideological diversity. No ideology is recognised as mandatory by the State. Censorship is prohibited. The State guarantees the freedom of political activities not prohibited by the Constitution and the laws of Ukraine.<ref name="UAConstitutionENG" />

[[Freedom of religion]] is guaranteed by law, although religious organizations are required to register with local authorities and with the central government. Article 35 of the Constitution defines that no religion may be recognized by the state as mandatory,<ref name="UAConstitutionENG" /> while church and religious organizations in Ukraine are separated from the state.

Minority rights are respected in accordance with a 1991 law guaranteeing ethnic minorities the right to [[schools]], educational buildings, and cultural facilities and the use of national languages in conducting personal business.
11 Article of the Constitution states that State must promote the consolidation and development of the Ukrainian nation, its historical consciousness, traditions, and culture, as well as the development of ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious identity of all indigenous peoples and national minorities of Ukraine.<ref name="UAConstitutionENG" />

According to Article 10 of Ukrainian constitution, [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]] is the only official state language.<ref name="UAConstitutionENG" /> However, in [[Crimea]] and some parts of eastern Ukraine – areas which also include substantial ethnic Russian minorities – the use of [[Russian language|Russian]] is widespread.

[[Freedom of speech|Freedom of speech and press]] are guaranteed by law, but authorities sometimes interfere with the news media through different forms of pressure (see [[Freedom of the press in Ukraine]]). In particular, the failure of the government to conduct a thorough, credible, and transparent investigation into the 2000 disappearance and murder of independent journalist [[Georgiy Gongadze]] has had a negative effect on Ukraine's international image. Over half of Ukrainians polled by the [[Razumkov Center]] in early October 2010 (56.6%) believed political censorship existed in Ukraine.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/85683/ | title=Over half of Ukrainians feel political censorship - Oct. 09, 2010 | date=9 October 2010 }}</ref>

Official [[trade union|labor union]]s have been grouped under the Federation of Labor Unions. A number of independent unions, which emerged in 1992, among them the Independent Union of Miners of Ukraine, have formed the Consultative Council of Free Labor Unions. While the right to [[strike action|strike]] is legally guaranteed by the Constitution,<ref name="UAConstitutionENG" /> strikes based solely on political demands are prohibited.

Article 157 of the Constitution prohibits amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine "under conditions of martial law or a state of emergency."<ref name="UAConstitutionENG" /> Elections, referendums, strikes, mass gatherings and protests are prohibited during martial law.<ref>[https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/389-19/ed20240630#Text Law on the legal status of martial law] (2024-06-30 revision) (in Ukrainian). Article 19. [https://www.rada.gov.ua/en Official webportal of the Parliament of Ukraine]</ref>