Oekraïne viert vandaag de twintigste Dag van de Grondwet, een officiële feestdag met vrijaf voor iedereen. De grondwet werd op 28 juni 1996 door het parlement aangenomen, bijna vijf jaar na het uitroepen van de onafhankelijkheid. Daarmee was Oekraïne de laatste van alle voormalige Sovjetlanden met een nieuwe grondwet.
Sindsdien is de grondwet enkele malen gewijzigd. De eerste keer was als gevolg van de Oranjerevolutie in 2006. De meeste recente wijzigingen waren die van augustus vorig jaar en begin deze maand, om respectievelijk de decentralisatie van het openbaar bestuur mogelijk te maken en een hervorming van de rechtspraak mogelijk te maken. Juist vandaag plaatste president Petro Porosjenko zijn handtekening onder de grondwetsherziening voor hervorming van de rechtspraak.
Bron: Unian
Today, 28 June, the
Ukrainians celebrate the 20th anniversary of the moment when the
country's current Constitution came into force.
Ukraine
12:15, 28 June 2016
19
READ LATER
0
0
0
0
0
June 28 is Constitution Day in Ukraine / Photo from UNIAN
June 28 is Constitution Day in Ukraine / Photo from UNIAN
Constitution Day is a public holiday, therefore June 28 is an official
day-off in Ukraine.
The country's main law was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada overnight June
28, 1996 – on the fifth year after the proclamation of independence of
Ukraine. After nearly a 24 hours of continuous work in the session hall,
the deputies finally managed to adopt the Constitution with 315 votes.
The document came into force the same day. At the same time, Ukraine
was the last among the former Soviet republics, which adopted a new
constitution.
The adoption of the Constitution entrenched the legal framework of an
independent Ukraine, its sovereignty and territorial integrity, becoming
an important step in ensuring human and civil rights, contributing to
the further increase of the international authority of Ukraine on the
international arena.
Since that time, the Constitution has been amended several times –
under pressure from certain political forces, or in accordance with the
needs of the time.
Read also
Poroshenko: No black cat of federalization in decentralization
amendments to Constitution
The first time the changes to the Constitution were made in December
2004. To overcome the political crisis during the Orange Revolution, at
the request of the political forces of Viktor Yanukovich and Leonid
Kuchma, the Ukrainian Parliament adopted Law of Ukraine No.2222-IV "On
Amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine" and (in the package to it)
the Law on Amendments to the Law on presidential elections.
The law on the basis of a bill drafted by Viktor Medvedchuk and Vasyl
Simonenko on the changes to the Constitution (on a political reform)
provided for a transition from a presidential-parliamentary to
parliamentary-presidential state, forming a government by a coalition of
parliamentary factions, the extension of powers of the Verkhovna Rada
for up to five years. The law came into force on January 1, 2006.
However, after Viktor Yanukovych and the Party of Regions came to power,
on September 30, 2010, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine ruled
unconstitutional the Law "On Amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine"
adopted in 2004, claiming violations of procedure for its consideration
and adoption. From this date, the Constitution of 1996 was enforced once
again.
In addition, in 2011, the changes were made to the Constitution
regarding local elections, and in 2013 – relating to the activities of
the Accounting Chamber.
However, since early 2014, as the political crisis in Ukraine
intensified, the proposals to return to the Constitution of 2004 have
become more persistent. This meant the election of the parliament under
the proportional system and depriving the president of a large share of
significant powers. On February 21, 2014, the Verkhovna Rada with a
constitutional majority of 386 votes adopted as a base and in general,
without a corresponding decision of the profile committee, the draft law
on the reinstatement of certain provisions of the Constitution of
Ukraine. The next day, given that this law was not signed by the
president, the parliament adopted a new resolution "On the text of the
Constitution as amended June 28, 1996, with amendments and additions
supplemented by the laws of Ukraine of December 8, 2004 No.2222-IV,
February 1, 2011, No.2952-VI, September 19, 2013, No.586-VII. This law
came into force on March 2, 2014.
Read also
U.S. on Ukraine Constitution amendments to judiciary: "Good news"
Thus, since March 2, 2014, the Constitution has been enforced, which had
been adopted on June 28, 1996, with amendments and additions
supplemented by the laws of Ukraine of December 8, 2004, February 1,
2011, September 19, 2013, and February 21, 2014.
At the same time, this did not stop the constitutional process in
Ukraine. On August 31, the parliament passed a preliminary approval of
the president-proposed bill on the amendments to the Constitution of
Ukraine (concerning the decentralization of power). The vote was marked
by a scandal – three out of five factions of the ruling coalition (
Batkivshchyna, Samopomich, and the Radical Party of Oleh Lyashko failed
to support the draft law, while the Opposition Bloc of the former
members of the Party of Regions has endorsed the bill. As a result, the
faction of Oleh Lyashko left the coalition.
In addition, on June 2, 2016, the Verkhovna Rada passed a draft law
amending the Constitution of Ukraine (regarding the judiciary), or the
so-called judicial reform.
Read more on UNIAN: http://www.unian.info/society/1389415-ukraine-celebrating-20th-anniversary-of-constitution.html
