Editing Politics of Ukraine (section)

===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>