History
Seimas and councils
The traditions of Ukrainian parliamentarism go back to the ancient Russian council - the national assembly of a medieval community or city. In the XV century, in the Lithuanian-Polish era, the practice of holding meetings of the nobility - the Diet appeared on Ukrainian lands. The Seimas had several levels - from the Zemstvo to the national General Seimas. In the 16th century, under the influence of the traditions of the noble Sejm and elements of the Old Russian Council, the tradition of holding Cossack councils took shape in Ukraine.Until the beginning of the XVII century in the Zaporozhian Army, the General Military Council was the main body of power among the Cossacks. Next to it there was a council of elders, which was held only by the Cossack leadership, as well as a black council, which involved in addition to the Cossacks commoners. After the division of the Zaporozhian Army into city and grassroots, the General Military Council continued to be the main one in the latter. Instead, the city Cossacks usually decided the main issues at the officers' or black councils.
In the XVIII century, black councils were not held. The traditions of noble and Cossack parliamentarism were continued in the noble assemblies of various levels in the Russian Empire, as well as in the Cossack councils in the Kuban.
Ukrainian Central Council
The first predecessor of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine was the Central Council of the Ukrainian People's Republic, formed on March 17, 1917. She began to build Ukrainian statehood by publishing Universals. The most important was the Fourth Universal, adopted on January 22, 1918, which proclaimed one of the important tasks of the Constitution of Ukraine. At the last meeting of the Central Rada on April 29, 1918, the draft Constitution of the Ukrainian People's Republic was approved - "Charter of the State System, Rights and Freedoms of the Ukrainian People's Republic."
The second predecessor of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine can be considered the Congress of Landowners with 8,000 delegates, which took place in Kyiv on April 29, 1918 and proclaimed Pavlo Skoropadsky Hetman of Ukraine. On the same day, the "Laws on the Provisional State System of Ukraine" were announced, which were to serve as the Constitution of the state before the convening of the Seimas. However, the Diet was never convened. According to this provisional Constitution, power in Ukraine belonged to the Hetman, who appointed the Ataman of the Council of Ministers, who submitted his Cabinet to the Hetman for approval.
The Verkhovna Rada of the USSR
The direct constitutional predecessor of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine was the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The first Ukrainian Soviet parliament was convened in 1938. He replaced the All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee, the highest legislative body of Soviet Ukraine in 1917, which was the main opponent of the Ukrainian Central Rada in the Soviet-Ukrainian War of 1917-1921.
The Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR was elected citizens of the republic on the basis of universal, equal and direct law. However, the elections themselves were tightly controlled by the Communist Party of Ukraine. The Council has convened 11 times in its history. The number of deputies was 650, and after 1989 it was reduced to 450. The term was 4 years. From 60% to 70% of the parliament were communists.
The last elections to the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR in the conditions of the Soviet Union took place in 1990. After the adoption of the Act of Independence of Ukraine, it became the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
On September 4, 1991, after three votes and Leonid Kravchuk's threat to resign if the issue is not resolved, the blue and yellow national flag of Ukraine was solemnly raised above the parliament building next to the state flag of the Ukrainian SSR.
The Verkhovna Rada since the independence of Ukraine
According to the Constitution, the only legislative body in Ukraine is the Verkhovna Rada - a representative body whose deputies are elected by the population on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot. The Verkhovna Rada is authorized to consider and resolve any issues that are not within the competence of the state executive or judicial authorities. Those that are not, are decided exclusively by an all-Ukrainian referendum. The procedure for appointing, preparing, holding a referendum, the procedure for determining its results is provided by the Law of Ukraine of July 3, 1991 "On All-Ukrainian and Local Referendums".
The Verkhovna Rada consists of 450 people's deputies, whose legal status was determined by the Law of Ukraine "On the Status of the People's Deputy of Ukraine"
The procedure for the work of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine was determined by its regulations adopted by the Ukrainian Parliament on July 27, 1994. The Verkhovna Rada held a session. A Presidium was specially formed to organize its work. In order to carry out draft work, preliminarily consider and prepare issues referred to the Verkhovna Rada, as well as to promote the implementation of laws and bylaws, control over the activities of state bodies and organizations, the Verkhovna Rada elected standing commissions from among deputies. Their organization and activity were regulated by the Law "On Standing Committees of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine"
Committees are formed on a permanent basis to carry out draft work, prepare and preliminarily consider issues within the powers of the parliament. Their number and subject orientation are not defined by the Constitution and laws of Ukraine. Therefore, the number of committees of the Verkhovna Rada varied from 20 to 24. Each new convocation is determined at its discretion with the number and names of committees.
Military Council on the Sich.
