Ukraine - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Ukraine, it was the name derives from the Old East Slavic or Old Russian word ukraina, meaning "borderland," which was used to describe the area on medieval Russia's border at the time of the Tatar invasion in the 13th century . The Government system in this country is the semi-presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 24 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous republic* (avtonomna respublika), and 2 municipalities** (mista, singular - misto) with oblast status; Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Crimea or Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol), Dnipropetrovsk (Dnipro), Donetsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad (Kropyvnytskyi), Kyiv**, Kyiv, Luhansk, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sevastopol**, Sumy, Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Volyn (Lutsk), Zakarpattia (Uzhhorod), Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr
National symbols
Tryzub (trident), sunflower.
The flag
The National flag of Ukraine has .
Info
The National Anthem
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More about the government of Ukraine
| Date of Independence | 24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union); notable earlier dates: ca. 982 (VOLODYMYR I consolidates Kyivan Rus); 1199 (Principality (later Kingdom) of Ruthenia formed); 1648 (establishment of the Cossack Hetmanate); 22 January 1918 (from Soviet Russia) |
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| National holiday | Independence Day, 24 August (1991) |
| Legal system | civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt |
| Constitution | |
| History | Several previous; latest adopted and ratified 28 June 1996 |
| Amendment process | Proposed by the president of Ukraine or by at least one third of the Supreme Council members; adoption requires simple majority vote by the Council and at least two-thirds majority vote in its next regular session; adoption of proposals relating to general constitutional principles, elections, and amendment procedures requires two-thirds majority vote by the Council and approval in a referendum; constitutional articles on personal rights and freedoms, national independence, and territorial integrity cannot be amended |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | no |
| Citizenship by descent only | at least one parent must be a citizen of Ukraine |
| Dual citizenship recognized | no |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | 5 years |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | President Volodymyr ZELENSKYY (since 20 May 2019) |
| Head of government | Prime Minister Yulia SVYRYDENKO (since 17 July 2025) |
| Cabinet | Cabinet of Ministers nominated by the prime minister, approved by the Verkhovna Rada |
| Election/appointment process | president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister selected by the Verkhovna Rada |
| Most recent election date | 31 March and 21 April 2019 |
| Election results | 2019: Volodymyr ZELENSKYY elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Volodymyr ZELENSKYY (Servant of the People) 30.2%, Petro POROSHENKO (BPP-Solidarity) 15.6%, Yuliya TYMOSHENKO (Fatherland) 13.4%, Yuriy BOYKO (Opposition Platform-For Life) 11.7%, 35 other candidates 29.1%; percent of vote in the second round - Volodymyr ZELENSKYY 73.2%, Petro POROSHENKO 24.5%, other 2.3%; Denys SHMYHAL (independent) elected prime minister; Verkhovna Rada vote - 291-59 2014: Petro POROSHENKO elected president in first round; percent of vote - Petro POROSHENKO (independent) 54.5%, Yuliya TYMOSHENKO (Fatherland) 12.9%, Oleh LYASHKO (Radical Party) 8.4%, other 24.2%; Volodymyr HROYSMAN (BPP) elected prime minister; Verkhovna Rada vote - 257-50 |
| Expected date of next election | scheduled for March/April 2024, but not held because Ukraine has been under martial law since February 2022 |
| Legislative branch | |
| Legislature name | Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) |
| Legislative structure | Unicameral |
| Number of seats | 450 (all directly elected) |
| Electoral system | Mixed system |
| Scope of elections | Full renewal |
| Term in office | 5 years |
| Most recent election date | 7/21/2019 |
| Parties elected and seats per party | Servant of the People (254); Opposition Platform - For Life (43); Fatherland (26); European Solidarity (25); Independents (46); Other (30) |
| Percentage of women in chamber | 21.2% |
| Expected date of next election | May 2025 |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Supreme Court of Ukraine or SCU (consists of 100 judges, organized into civil, criminal, commercial and administrative chambers, and a grand chamber); Constitutional Court (consists of 18 justices); High Anti-Corruption Court (consists of 39 judges, including 12 in the Appeals Chamber) |
| Judge selection and term of office | Supreme Court judges recommended by the High Qualification Commission of Judges (a 16-member state body responsible for judicial candidate testing and assessment and judicial administration), submitted to the High Council of Justice, a 21-member independent body of judicial officials; judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 65; High Anti-Corruption Court judges are selected by the same process, with one addition – a majority of a combined High Qualification Commission of Judges and a 6-member Public Council of International Experts must vote in favor of potential judges in order to recommend their nomination to the High Council of Justice; Constitutional Court justices appointed - 6 each by the president, the Congress of Judges, and the Verkhovna Rada; judges serve 9-year nonrenewable terms |
| Subordinate courts | Courts of Appeal; district courts |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Olha STEFANISHYNA (since 19 September 2025) |
| Chancery | 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 349-2963 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 333-0817 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://usa.mfa.gov.ua/en |
| Consulate(s) general | Chicago, New York, San Francisco |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Ambassador Julie S. DAVIS (since 5 May 2025) |
| Embassy | 4 A. I. Igor Sikorsky Street, 04112 Kyiv |
| Mailing address | 5850 Kyiv Place, Washington, DC 20521-5850 |
| Telephone | [380] (44) 521-5000 |
| FAX | [380] (44) 521-5544 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://ua.usembassy.gov/ |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 8 (7 cultural, 1 natural) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Kyiv: Saint Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (c); Lviv Historic Center (c); Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans, Chernivtsi (c); Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese, Sevastopol (c); Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region (c); Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians (n); Struve Geodetic Arc (c); The Historic Centre of Odesa (c) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Ukraine
Info
International organization participation
All Important Facts about Ukraine
Want to know more about Ukraine? Check all different factbooks for Ukraine below.
