Prime Minister of Ukraine

Prime Minister of Ukraine
Government Building.JPG
Cabinet of Ministers building
Yuliya Tymoshenko Jan2005.jpg
Incumbent
Yulia Tymoshenko

since December 18, 2007
Inaugural holder Andriy Livytskyi
Formation November 18, 1920
Website kmu.gov.ua
Ukraine
Lesser Coat of Arms of Ukraine.svg

This article is part of the series:
Politics and government of
Ukraine



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The Prime Minister of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Прем'єр-міністр України, Prem'ier-ministr Ukrayiny) presides over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the top body of the executive branch of the Ukrainian government.

Contents

Appointment and dismissal

The Prime Minister is appointed by the Verkhovna Rada following a proposal by President (Article 114 of Constitution). The candidacy is chosen and forwarded to the President by a parliamentary coalition. Formally, the President has 15 days to consider the candidacy and the Constitution is silent on whether the candidacy may be turned down.

Before the Constitutional reform of 2004, the President was not restricted in his choice of the Prime-Minister candidacy and the ratification in the parliament was usually preceded by several days of comprehensive consultations and interviews of the candidate by the parliamentary factions. The approval by the legislature was not a mere formality. Some candidates were ratified by a narrow margin and a candidate may be turned down. For instance, in 1999, Valeriy Pustovoytenko fell short of 3 votes to be re-confirmed after he tendered his resignation at the second inauguration of President Kuchma. Kuchma chose Viktor Yushchenko as his alternative candidate. Another example is the ratification of Yuriy Yekhanurov. He was short of 3 votes to get ratified and was confirmed on the second attempt 2 days later.

Before the constitutional reform, the Prime minister was usually dismissed unilaterally by the President. After the reform the Prime minister can only be dismissed by the parliament. Formally, the Verkhovna Rada needs to pass a resolution of no confidence in the Cabinet, which must result in the PM's resignation. However, the parliament cannot put the resolution on vote within one year after the approval of the Cabinet's programme. The parliament dismissed the Cabinets of Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych. The latter refused to tender his resignation to the President claiming a violation of the one-year period condition. The Cabinet of Yuriy Yekhanurov had also been formally dismissed, but the parliamentary act was subsequently repealed.

The Prime Minister, as well as any other Cabinet member, may resign voluntarily by tendering the resignation to the parliament. A resignation by the Prime Minister results in the dismissal of the Cabinet. After the adoption of the current Constitution of Ukraine, only Pavlo Lazarenko lost his post this way.

Also, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet are obligated to resign to each new convocation of the parliament. (Article 115 of Constitution).

Authority

The Prime Minister supervises the work of the Cabinet and signs its decrees. Also, he or she proposes candidacies of ministers to the parliament (except the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense), as well as candidacies of heads of regional state administrations (colloquially referred to as "governors") to the President.

Moreover, the Prime Minister has the authority to countersign many presidential edicts, together with a minister responsible for the execution of the edict. The Constitution does not make it clear whether the PM may withhold his or her signature and whether missing countersignatures render an edict unenforceable.

List of Heads of Government of Ukraine (1918-Present)

Ukrainian People's Republic (1917-1921)

Chairman of the Council of Ministers

Ukrainian People's Republic in Exile (1921-1992)

Prime ministers

(in Prague to 1945, then Munich)

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1919-1991)

Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars

Chairman of the All-Ukrainian Revolutionary Committee

Chairmen of the Council of People's Commissars

Chairmen of the Council of Ministers

Prime Ministers of Ukraine (1991-Present)

Name Took office Left office Notes
1 Vitold Fokin 23 October 1990 2 October 1992 acting to 14 November 1990 (continued from above)
2 Valentyn Symonenko 2 October 1992 13 October 1992 acting
3 Leonid Kuchma 13 October 1992 22 September 1993
4 Yukhym Zvyahilsky 22 September 1993 16 June 1994 acting
5 Vitaliy Masol 16 June 1994 1 March 1995
6 Yevhen Marchuk 1 March 1995 28 May 1996 acting to 8 June 1995
7 Pavlo Lazarenko 28 May 1996 2 July 1997
8 Vasyl Durdynets 19 June 1997 16 July 1997 acting (for Lazarenko) to 2 July 1997
9 Valeriy Pustovoitenko 16 July 1997 22 December 1999
10 Viktor Yushchenko 22 December 1999 29 May 2001
11 Anatoliy Kinakh 29 May 2001 21 November 2002
12 Viktor Yanukovych 21 November 2002 5 January 2005 1st time
13 Mykola Azarov 7 December 2004 28 December 2004 acting for Yanukovych
14 Mykola Azarov 5 January 2005 24 January 2005 acting
15 Yulia Tymoshenko 24 January 2005 8 September 2005 acting to 04 February 2005
16 Yuriy Yekhanurov 8 September 2005 4 August 2006 acting to 22 September 2005
17 Viktor Yanukovych 4 August 2006 23 October 2007 acting to 18 December 2007
18 Yulia Tymoshenko 18 December 2007 Incumbent

See also

External links