Country Profile
Ukraine is a country in Central and Eastern Europe with an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European Continent after Russia.
A significant minority of the population of Ukraine are Russians or use Russian as their first language. Russian influence is particularly strong in the industrialised east, as well as in Crimea.
The 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station, rang alarm bells around the world immediately. About 8% of Ukraine's territory was contaminated and over ten thousand people have died as a direct result of the explosion, the health of millions more has been affected.However,in 2000 Chernobyl nuclear power plant is shut down, 14 years after the accident.
Capital Kiev
Currency Hryvnia
Population 45 Million ( 2010 Estimate )
Official Language Ukrainian
Ethnic Groups 78% Ukrainians;17% Russians and 5% Others
History
on August 24, 1991 the Ukrainian parliament adopted the Act of Independence in which the parliament declared Ukraine as an independent democratic state
A Referendum and the 1st Presidential Election took place on Dec 1, 1991. That day, more than 90 percent of the Ukrainian people expressed their support for the Act of Independence, and they elected the chairman of the parliament, Leonid Kraychuk to serve as the 1st President of the country.
Leonid Kuchma succeeded Leonid Kraychuk as President of Ukraine.
Government
After Ukraine proclaimed its independence, on August 24, 1991, and adopted its constitution on June 28, 1996, Ukraine became a presidential-parliamentary republic.
On Dec. 8, 2004, at the request of "political forces of PM Yanukovich (who feared that Yushchenko would come to power), deputies introduced radical changes to the Constitution. 402 deputies voted, including the Party of Regions,the Communist Party and the Socialist Party). Since those changes, Ukraine has had a parliamentary-presidential republic.
When Yanukovych became President, he appointed new Constitutional Court justices, and on 30 September 2010 the Constitutional Court decided to abolish the 2004 Constitution and return to the 1996 Constitution.
President is elected for a 5 year term and is the Head of State
Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is the Parliament of Ukraine having 450 Members is Unicameral
Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych is the current President of Ukraine holding the office from Feb 25,2010
2010 Ukrainian Presidential Election - Jan 17,2010
Ukraine's 5th Presidential Election since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The first round was held on January 17, 2010. The run-off between PM Yulia Tymoshenko and opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych followed on February 7, 2010.
On February 14, Viktor Yanukovych, with 48.95% votes was declared President-elect and winner of the 2010 Ukrainian Presidential election.Yulia Tymoshenko got 45.47 Votes.
2004 Ukrainian Presidential Election - Dec 26,2004
The Ukrainian presidential election was held on October 31, November 21 and December 26, 2004
According to Ukraine's electoral law, a two round system is used to elect the President in which a candidate must win a majority (50% or more) of all ballots cast.The first round of voting was held on October 31, 2004. As no candidate had 50% or more of the votes cast a run-off ballot between the two-highest polling candidates, Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych, was held on November 21
According to official Central Election Commission results announced on November 23, the run-off election was won by Viktor Yanukovych. The election results were challenged by Viktor Yushchenko
The final re-run ballot was held on December 26 and Viktor Yushchenko was declared the winner with 52 percent of the vote to ViktorYanukovych's 44 percent.
Mykola Yanovych Azarov is the current PM of Ukraine from March 11,2010
Former Ukrainian PM Yulia Tymoshenko Comvicted - Oct 2011
The former Ukrainian PM Yulia Tymoshenko has been sentenced to seven years in prison after being found guilty of abusing her office after signing gas deal with Russia in 2009.
Judge Rodion Kireyev said Tymoshenko had exceeded her powers when she signed a 2009 deal with Moscow that left Ukraine paying a high price for Russian gas.
The trial, which began in May, has been criticized by the Ukrainian Opposition and EU Leaders.
Ukraine President faces EU protests over jailing Yulia Tymoshenko
Ukrainian President ViktorYanukovych was due to meet the European commission's president, José Manuel Barroso, and the European council president, Herman Van Rompuy, in Brussels on Thursday for final stage negotiations on a free trade treaty and an association agreement that would bind the ex-Soviet country to Europe.
EU officials cancelled the talks on Tuesday, saying the timing wasn't right.
New criminal charges against Yulia Tymoshenko
The State Tax Service said on Friday Nov 11,2011 it charged Tymoshenko with concealing $165m (£100m) of foreign currency revenues, and evading taxes while she headed an energy company in the 1990s
Yulia Tymoshenko's husband granted asylum in the Czech Republic
Batkivshchina, the political party led by Tymoshenko, issued a statement on Friday saying: "This step by Oleksander Tymoshenko is the response to amoral attempts to torture and put pressure on Yulia Tymoshenko by persecuting her relatives and people close to her''.
The Czech interior ministry confirmed on Friday it had approved the application for asylum submitted by Oleksander, a businessman and has been granted asylum a week after his wife was transferred to a penal colony to serve a seven-year sentence.
Ukrainian MPs back bill to boost status of Russian
MPs from the ruling Party of the Regions passed the bill in its first reading, with 234 votes in the 450-seat lower house.
The bill grants Russian, mother tongue of most people in east and south Ukraine, "regional language" status.
Ukrainian would remain the country's official language, but Russian could be used in courts, hospitals and other institutions in Russian-speaking regions.
It will become law if approved at a second reading later this year and signed off by President Viktor Yanukovych.
Opponents of the bill, notably the Fatherland bloc of jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, argue the bill would undermine the status of Ukrainian, the language which predominates in the centre and west.
Ukraine Erupts over Russian language
A bill granting official status to Russian and other languages has triggered a major political crisis in Ukraine, with the Speaker of Parliament resigning in protest and the President threatening to dissolve the legislature.
The 450-member Verkhovna Rada has approved the bill by 248 votes, but Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn refused to sign it citing numerous violations and tendered his resignation on thursday July 04,2012
The law stipulates that any of Ukraine’s 18 regional and minority languages spoken by at least 10 per cent of the population in a certain administrative region can be used in that region as the “official” language alongside Ukrainian.
According to the latest census, 30 per cent or 16 million people in Ukraine say Russian is their native language. Under the new law, Russian would be used as “official” language alongside Ukrainian in 13 out of the 27 regions.
The law provoked angry protests in the capital Kiev and other cities, with police firing teargas and wielding batons to disperse crowds of nationalists who feared the law would marginalise the Ukrainian language.
Poland -Ukraine to Host 2012 UEFA EURO Football Championship
The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2012 will be the 14th European Championship for National Football Teams organised by UEFA and will be hosted by Poland and Ukraine during June 08 - July 01,2012
The tournament features 16 nations, the last European Championship to do so (from Euro 2016 onward, there will be 24 finalists)
2012 Ukrainian parliamentary Election -Sunday Oct 28,2012
The election is being held for 450 seats of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine(Parliament of Ukraine)
Results of the Parliamentary Election Held on Oct 28,2012
The CEC of Ukraine finalized the vote count on Nov 12,2012 but simultaneously ordered ordered – on recommendation of the Ukraine's parliament – repeat elections in five troubled single-mandate constituencies where it could not establish results.Hence, as of 12 November 2012 445 deputies have been elected of the 450 seats in parliament.
The '' Party of Regions '' won the largest number of seats - 187 Seats
''Fatherland''(an "umbrella" party uniting several parties)came second - 102 Seats and
UDAR finished third place in the election - 40 Seats
On Feb 1, 2011 the Verkhovna Rada(Ukraine Parliament) set the election date for October 28, 2012.
In June, 2011 the Venice Commission reviewed a proposed Draft Law on the election of Ukrainian parliamentary members whereby 225 local single-member districts elected by a first past the post electoral system (highest vote wins); and the remaining 225 parliamentary seats being elected nationwide on a proportional party-list system.
On 17 Nov 2011 the Ukrainian Parliament approved an election law almost identical to the June 2011 proposed Draft Law.Every Citizen of Ukraine who is 18 years old or older was able to vote in 33,540 polling stations in Ukraine and 114 foreign polling stations in 77 Countries.
There are 87 parties that registered for the elections to compete in the 2012 Parliamentary Elections.Yulia Tymoshenko, a bitter opponent of President Viktor Yanukovych, could not run in the elections after being sentenced to seven years in jail over a gas deal with Russia.However,Yulia Tymoshenko's Party -Fatherland is contesting the election, with its campaigning being led by Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a former foreign minister and parliament speaker
The turnout for the election is 57,53%.Ukrainians Voted for 450 MPs, half of whom are selected from party lists, and the other half from single-seat constituencies.
Exit Polls based only on party-list voting showed -
Party of Regions winning 28%(Party of Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych)
Yulia Tymoshenko's United Opposition Fatherland bloc on 24.7%
the far-right Freedom party (12.5%)
the Communists (12.5%) and
the anti-corruption Udar party (15.4%) of boxing champion Vitali Klitschko.
Entire Ukraine Govt Resigns -Tuesday Dec 3 ,2012
Ukrainian PM Mykola Azarov and the entire government resigned and President Viktor Yanukovych has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and his government following the country's recent parliamentary elections.
Possible successors to Mykola Azarov could include First Deputy Prime Minister Valery Khoroshkovsky and National Bank chief Sergiy Arbuzov, analysts said. Other candidates for prime minister could includenational security chief Andriy Kluyev and deputy presidential chief of staff Iryna Akimova .
Ukrainian parliament speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn said that a decision on the composition of the new government could be taken on December 13 or 14 after the new parliament convenes.
Chaos & Scuffles in the Ukrainian Parliament
A session of Ukraine's new parliament collapses amid chaos on Thursday Dec 13,2012 when brawls erupts among opposition deputies and those of the ruling party over the election of parliamentary officials. The opposition, which includes deputies loyal to jailed former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, accuse the ruling coalition of trying to ram through voting despite violations of parliamentary rules
Members of parliament scuffle over voting rules for a second time in two days during a session of the newly-elected Ukrainian parliament in Kiev
The PM, Mykola Azarov, delivers a speech after the fight
Opposition MPs exit the session hall in protest
No comments:
Post a Comment