Prime Minister of Ukraine
| Prime Minister of Ukraine Прем'єр-міністр України |
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 Mykola Azarov since March 11, 2010 |
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| Appointer | Verkhovna Rada upon submission by President |
| Term length | Duration of parliamentary convocation, coalition or upon resignation and removal |
| Inaugural holder | Vitold Fokin |
| Formation | November 18, 1920 |
| Succession | None; resignation or removal renders Cabinet illegitimate |
| Website | www.kmu.gov.ua/control/en |
| Ukraine |
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The Prime Minister of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Прем'єр-міністр України, Prem'ier-ministr Ukrayiny) is Ukraine's head of government presiding over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the highest body of the executive branch of the Ukrainian government.
While in office, the Prime Minister is granted full legal immunity from all prosecutions and legal proceedings. The Prime Minister's office is headquartered in the Cabinet of Ministries building in central Kiev. The Prime Minister is paid a yearly salary of 202,776 UAH (US$26,770).[1]
Since Ukrainian independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, there have been 15 Prime Ministers (19 counting acting PMs). Mykola Azarov is the incumbent Prime Minister as of March 11, 2010.
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Appointment and dismissal
The Prime Minister is appointed by the Verkhovna Rada following a proposal by the President. The candidacy is chosen and forwarded to the President by the majority parliamentary coalition (minimum 226 ayes). Formally, the President has 15 days to consider the candidacy; however, 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 Pustovoitenko fell short of 3 votes to be re-confirmed after he tendered his resignation at the second inauguration of President Leonid Kuchma in 1999. 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).
The Prime Minister does not have to be a Member of Parliament.[2]
Duties and powers
The Prime Minister heads Ukraine's executive branch of government, the Cabinet of Ministers and signs decrees passed by the Cabinet.
The Prime Minister has the authority to announce their candidacies to the Verkhovna Rada for ministry offices (with the exception of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Defense which are proposed by the President). The Prime Minister can also propose candidacies of heads of regional administrations to the President for consideration.
The Prime Minister can also countersign decrees and laws passed by the President. The constitution is silent on the exact regulation of the countersigning. The Prime Minister (and the respective minister) are responsible for the execution of laws passed by the Cabinet.
Dismissal and resignation
The Prime Minister, as well as any other Cabinet member, may resign voluntarily by tendering their resignation to the parliament. A resignation by the Prime Minister results in the dismissal of the entire Cabinet. After the adoption of the current Constitution (1996), only Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko lost his post this way.[3]
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 official programme. The Cabinets of Prime Ministers Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych were dismissed this way with the latter refusing 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.
With each new convocation of parliament, the Prime Minister (and the Cabinet) are obligated to resign. While the Prime Minister doesn't have a set term limit, they are in office for the duration that the majority parliamentary coalition exists. If the coalition collapses, then a new coalition must form in parliament (which may or may not keep the incumbent PM in office). Providing that the coalition holds, then the PM will resign his/her authority when the new parliamentary convocation is sworn in after regular parliamentary elections.
Prime Ministers of Ukraine (1991-Present)
Since Ukrainian independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, there have been 15 Prime Ministers (19 counting acting PMs). Mykola Azarov is the incumbent Prime Minister since March 11, 2010.
References
- ↑ "The salary of Yushchenko rose 9 times - to $4.5 thousand". NTA-Privolzhye. 2005-07-14. http://www.nta-nn.ru/news/item/?ID=79842. Retrieved 25 December 2008.
- ↑ Stand-off in Ukraine: What now?, Kyiv Post (February 15, 2010)
- ↑ Laws of Ukraine. President of Ukraine decree No. 599/97: On the resignation of Prime Minister P.Lazarenko. Passed on 1997-07-02. (Ukrainian)
External links
- "Government portal" (in Ukrainian). Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. http://www.kmu.gov.ua. Retrieved 2008-03-06.
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