System of Ukrainian local government

Under the constitution Ukraine is a republic and the people is the single source of sovereignty and power in Ukraine, which is being implemented directly and through state and local self-governance bodies. The people’s will shall be expressed via elections, referenda and other forms of indirect democracy.

The state power is split into legislative, executive and judiciary.

The legislative authority lies within the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine which acts through its laws, and is composed of people’s deputies elected by constituents based on equal suffrage. The right to elect and be elected belongs to Ukraine citizens aged 18 and above, except the legally incapable persons.

The president of Ukraine is the head of state and guarantor of state sovereignty and territorial integrity, compliance with the constitution of Ukraine, citizen freedoms and rights. The president signs laws passed by the Verkhovna Rada or vetoes them thus sending them back to the Verkhovna Rada for revisiting.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is the highest executive and acts under the constitution and laws of Ukraine and presidential decrees. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is headed by the Prime Minister appointed by the president of Ukraine in consent with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is composed by the President of Ukraine upon submission of the Prime Minister.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine directs and coordinates work of ministries, and other executives; implements domestic and foreign policy of the state; carries out national economic, social, cultural policies; drafts law on the State Budget of Ukraine and enforces the Verkhovna Rada enacted State Budget of Ukraine.

In oblasts and rayons, cities of Kyiv and Sevastopol the executive power lies within local state administrations, whose heads are hired/dismissed by the president of Ukraine upon submission of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Local state administrations ensure compliance with the constitution and laws of Ukraine, presidential decrees, Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine resolutions and ordinances of other executives; implementation of national/regional social and economic programs, cultural development; formulation and performance of oblast/rayon budgets.

Judicial authority in Ukraine lies solely within courts that administer justice and their jurisdiction spans all legal relations in the country.

The judiciary in Ukraine is based on the premise of territoriality and speciality. Additionally to the general jurisdiction courts system there are specialized courts—administrative and commercial. The Supreme Court of Ukraine is highest authority within the general jurisdiction system, while acts of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, president of Ukraine, CMU are scanned by the Constitutional court of Ukraine as to their compliance with the constitution.

The constitution of Ukraine stipulates and guarantees local self-governance and territorial communities of villages and their associations, settlements and towns elect local mayors to resolve local issues. Village, settlement and town councils act as owners of community property owned by respective communities. They approve local self-governance budgets, plans of social and economic development, cultural development and set local taxes and duties. To implement local self-governance functions and some centrally delegated authority functions local councils appoint their own executives, and village, settlement and town mayors head respective council executives and chair council sessions.

To implement joint interest functions of communities, rayon and oblast councils are elected that operate objects jointly owned by some territorial communities. They approve rayon/oblast budgets, social and economic development plans of communities. Executive functions of rayon/oblast councils are vested in rayon/oblast state administrations.

In Kyiv and Sevastopol, likewise in rayons and oblasts, executive authority is vested in pertinent city state administrations.

The Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (ARC) is its representative organ that enacts Autonomous Republic of Crimea laws, appoints the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and its head in agreement with the president of Ukraine. Additionally, the ARC also hosts the office of presidential representative in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The ARC is ruled by both the constitution of Ukraine and that of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, approved by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.