| Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Голова Верховної Ради України |
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Verkhovna Rada building |
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| Appointer | Parliament by secret ballot |
| Term length | Resignation, dismissal or new convocation of parliament. |
| Inaugural holder | Mykhailo Burmystenko, January 30, 1937 |
| Formation | Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR of July 25, 1938 |
| Succession | First |
| Website | chairman.rada.gov.ua |
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Голова Верховної Ради України) is the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's unicameral parliament. The speaker presides over the parliament and its procedures. They are elected by secret ballot from the parliament's deputy ranks.[1] The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada is the first in order of succession for the office of President of Ukraine pending the president's inability to govern or impeachment from office.
The office of Chairman has existed since the ratification of the Constitution of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on January 30, 1937. Mykhailo Burmystenko, who was appointed on January 30, 1937, was the inaugural holder of the office. There have been 18 Chairmen of the Verkhovna Rada since then. Volodymyr Lytvyn is the current chairman since being confirmed on December 9, 2008[2][3] after the dismissal of Arseniy Yatsenyuk[4] on November 12, 2008.[5][6]
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According to Article 88 of the Ukrainian Constitution, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada is allowed to:[1]
The chairman is also allowed to call special sessions of parliament,[7] enact bills vetoed by the president only when the Verkhovna Rada votes to overcome the veto by a two-thirds majority, and participate in meetings of the National Security and Defence Council.[8]
The chairman and his two assistants (deputy chairmen) cannot head factions of deputies.[9]
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada is the first in the order of succession, becoming the next head of state with limited authority while new presidential elections are conducted.[10] Actions not allowed to be performed by the acting president include:[10]
No provisions for presidential succession are included in case both the president's and chairman's positions are vacant.
The following table includes the Chairmen of Verkhovna Rada (since 1991), the Chairmen of Supreme Soviet of Ukrainian SSR (1938–1991):
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| Name | Party/Bloc | Date Elected | Date Resigned | Convocation | Comments |
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| Volodymyr Lytvyn | Lytvyn Bloc | December 9, 2008 | Incumbent | 6 (17) | Replaced (acting) chairman Oleksandr Lavrynovych (acting since November 12, 2008) |
| Arseniy Yatsenyuk | Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense Bloc | December 4, 2007[4] | November 12, 2008[5][6] | Resignation announced September 17.[11] Dismissed Nov. 12.[12] | |
| Oleksandr Moroz | Socialist | July 6, 2006[13] | 2007 | 5 (16) | |
| Volodymyr Lytvyn | For United Ukraine | May 28, 2002[14] | May 25, 2006 | 4 (15) | |
| Ivan Plyushch | Independent | February 1, 2000 | May 14, 2002 | 3 (14) | |
| Oleksandr Tkachenko | Communist | July 7, 1998[15] | January 21, 2000 | Dismissed for violating parliamentary regulations. | |
| Oleksandr Moroz | Socialist | May 18, 1994[16] | May 12, 1998 | 2 (13) | |
| Ivan Plyushch | Independent | December 5, 1991[17] | May 11, 1994 | 1 (12) | |
| Leonid Kravchuk | Communist (Bolsheviks) | July 23, 1990[18] | December 5, 1991 | Resigned as a result of election as President. | |
| Volodymyr Ivashko | June 4, 1990[19] | July 9, 1990[20] | Resigned as when elected to the Politburo of the CPSU. | ||
| Platon Kostiuk | 1985 | June 4, 1990 | 11 | ||
| Kostiantyn Sytnyk | 1980 | 1985 | 10 | ||
| Mykhailo Bilyi | 1972 | 1980 | 8-9 | ||
| Oleksandr Korniychuk | 1959 | 1972 | 4-7 | ||
| Pavlo Tychyna | 1953 | 1959 | 3 | ||
| Oleksandr Korniychuk | 1947 | 1953 | 2 | ||
| Mykhailo Burmystenko | July 25, 1938 | September 9, 1941 | 1 (suspended due to Second World War) |
All former speakers of the Verkhovna Rada received special state privileges. After the completion of their tenure, former speakers are provided with cabinets in the parliament's building, an official government car and an adviser and an aide at the state expense.[21]
The respective decree #296 was signed by Volodymyr Lytvyn as early as on June 7, 2006 – a month before he was dismissed from the post of Parliament's Speaker. After three years since its adoption, Verkhovna Rada officials kept silent about the law, after which it was made public by an article in the DELO newspaper in mid-May 2009.[21]