Ukrainian parliamentary election, 1990
Encyclopedia
The first relatively free parliamentary election
held in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Ukrainian SSR) took place in several stages, from March 4 to March 18, 1990. The elections were held to elect deputies to the republic's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada
. Simultaneously, elections of local provincial ("oblast'") councils also took place in their respective administrative divisions
.
Although the electoral campaign was far from being clear and transparent, democratic representatives
were the first to provide a legal challenge to the authority of the Communist Party of the Ukrainian SSR in parliament. A total of 442 National Deputies were elected – short of the 450 seat total, due to low voter turnout.
The parliamentary convocation that convened after the 1990 election declared the independence
of Ukraine
from the Soviet Union
on August 24, 1991. Later on, an amendment to the official number of parliamentary convocations recognized this 12th Convocation of the Parliament of the Ukrainian SSR as the first Parliament of Ukraine of the 1st Convocation.
's perestroika
, the Law on Elections – adopted on October 27, 1989 – included provisions for direct elections of individuals (as opposed to group representation of civic organizations), the need for alternative (non-Communist) candidates, the elimination of a requirement for nomination meetings, and other relatively democratic provisions. However, the elections were far from being free – as the Communist Party retained control on the media, exerted political influence, and had a large financial resource base.
During the election campaign, the self-titled "Democratic Bloc
" was formed, which included the People's Movement of Ukraine
(Rukh), the Helsinki Watch Committee of Ukraine
, the Green Party of Ukraine
, and many other organizations.
in 450 electoral regions. The first round of elections took place on March 4, 1990. In electoral regions where none of candidates obtained at least 50% of the vote, a second round of elections took place on March 10-18. In two rounds of elections a total of 442 deputies were elected, not reaching the maximum 450 deputies due to low voter turnout.
The Communists obtained 331 seats in the Rada. The "Democratic Bloc" obtained 111 seats out of 442. In the parliament, the democratic deputies formed the "Narodna Rada" (People's Council) group, which consisted of 90 to 125 members. Narodna Rada became the opposition bloc to the parliamentary majority and Ihor Yukhnovskyi
was elected as the opposition group's leader.
to serve as the Parliament Chairman
, but on July 19, 1991 he chose to move to Moscow
for the position of Deputy General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
. The Communist Party was rapidly losing popularity; by July 1990 ninety-two of the deputies elected as Communists declared themselves as "Independents
". The remaining 239 communist deputies formed a new majority group they called "For a Soviet Sovereign Ukraine", informally known as the "group of 239".
On July 16, 1990, this Parliament adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine
. The Declaration was supported by 355 deputies.
On July 18 the "For a Soviet Sovereign Ukraine" group led by Oleksander Moroz elected Leonid Kravchuk
as the Chairman of Parliament.
In October 1990, the Parliament amended the 1978 Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR
, in particular to exclude Article 6. Prior to the amendments, the supreme governing body of the Ukrainian SSR was the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Ukrainian SSR.
On December 5, 1991 Leonid Kravchuk
surrendered his parliamentary duties to accept the presidency
of an independent Ukraine. The post of Parliament Chairman was awarded to Ivan Plyushch
. On June 18, 1992 several other parliamentarians left the "People's Council" group; among them were Levko Lukyanenko
, Pavlo Lazarenko
, Anatoliy Kinakh
, and many others.
and 38 by the Cabinet of Ministers. The most productive were the last couple of sessions (7th and 8th) where were submitted 60 legal projects.
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
held in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Ukrainian SSR) took place in several stages, from March 4 to March 18, 1990. The elections were held to elect deputies to the republic's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
. Simultaneously, elections of local provincial ("oblast'") councils also took place in their respective administrative divisions
Administrative divisions of Ukraine
Ukraine is subdivided into 24 oblasts , one autonomous republic, and two "cities with special status".- Overview :...
.
Although the electoral campaign was far from being clear and transparent, democratic representatives
Democratic Bloc
Democratic Bloc was a political alliance and an electoral bloc in Ukraine founded during the election campaign to participate in the parliamentary election held during March 4-18, 1990.-History:...
were the first to provide a legal challenge to the authority of the Communist Party of the Ukrainian SSR in parliament. A total of 442 National Deputies were elected – short of the 450 seat total, due to low voter turnout.
The parliamentary convocation that convened after the 1990 election declared the independence
Declaration of Independence of Ukraine
The Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine was adopted by the Ukrainian parliament on August 24, 1991. The Act established Ukraine as an independent, democratic state....
of Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
on August 24, 1991. Later on, an amendment to the official number of parliamentary convocations recognized this 12th Convocation of the Parliament of the Ukrainian SSR as the first Parliament of Ukraine of the 1st Convocation.
Background
In the wake of Mikhail GorbachevMikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
's perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
, the Law on Elections – adopted on October 27, 1989 – included provisions for direct elections of individuals (as opposed to group representation of civic organizations), the need for alternative (non-Communist) candidates, the elimination of a requirement for nomination meetings, and other relatively democratic provisions. However, the elections were far from being free – as the Communist Party retained control on the media, exerted political influence, and had a large financial resource base.
During the election campaign, the self-titled "Democratic Bloc
Democratic Bloc
Democratic Bloc was a political alliance and an electoral bloc in Ukraine founded during the election campaign to participate in the parliamentary election held during March 4-18, 1990.-History:...
" was formed, which included the People's Movement of Ukraine
People's Movement of Ukraine
The People's Movement of Ukraine is a Ukrainian center-right political party...
(Rukh), the Helsinki Watch Committee of Ukraine
Ukrainian Helsinki Group
The Ukrainian Helsinki Group was founded in November 1976 to monitor human rights in Ukraine. The group was active until 1981 when all members were jailed....
, the Green Party of Ukraine
Party of Greens of Ukraine
The Party of Greens of Ukraine is a Ukrainian political green party founded in 1990 and registered in May 1991.The party is a successor of the Green World Association and under that name participated in the Ukrainian parliamentary elections of 1990 as part of the Democratic Bloc...
, and many other organizations.
Results
The elections took place according to the majoritarian electoral systemExhaustive ballot
The exhaustive ballot is a voting system used to elect a single winner. Under the exhaustive ballot the elector simply casts a single vote for his or her favorite candidate. However if no candidate is supported by an overall majority of votes then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated...
in 450 electoral regions. The first round of elections took place on March 4, 1990. In electoral regions where none of candidates obtained at least 50% of the vote, a second round of elections took place on March 10-18. In two rounds of elections a total of 442 deputies were elected, not reaching the maximum 450 deputies due to low voter turnout.
The Communists obtained 331 seats in the Rada. The "Democratic Bloc" obtained 111 seats out of 442. In the parliament, the democratic deputies formed the "Narodna Rada" (People's Council) group, which consisted of 90 to 125 members. Narodna Rada became the opposition bloc to the parliamentary majority and Ihor Yukhnovskyi
Ihor Yukhnovskyi
Ihor Yukhnovskyi is a Ukrainian scientist, politician, and statesman, a member of the Presidium of Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Hero of Ukraine.-Life before politics:...
was elected as the opposition group's leader.
Aftermath
The first meeting of the Parliament took place on May 15, 1990. The Communist deputies elected Volodymyr IvashkoVladimir Ivashko
Vladimir Antonovich Ivashko , was briefly the acting General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during the period from 24 August 1991 to 29 August 1991. On 24 August Mikhail Gorbachev resigned, and on 29 August the CPSU was suspended by the Supreme Soviet...
to serve as the Parliament Chairman
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine 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...
, but on July 19, 1991 he chose to move to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
for the position of Deputy General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Secretariat of the CPSU Central Committee
The Secretariat of the CPSU Central Committee was a key body within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and was responsible for the central administration of the party as opposed to drafting government policy which was usually handled by the Politburo...
. The Communist Party was rapidly losing popularity; by July 1990 ninety-two of the deputies elected as Communists declared themselves as "Independents
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
". The remaining 239 communist deputies formed a new majority group they called "For a Soviet Sovereign Ukraine", informally known as the "group of 239".
On July 16, 1990, this Parliament adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine
Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine
The Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine was adopted on July 16, 1990 by the recently elected parliament of Ukrainian SSR.The Declaration established the principles of Self-Determination of the Ukrainian Nation, Rule of the People, State Power, Citizenship of the Ukrainian SSR, Territorial...
. The Declaration was supported by 355 deputies.
On July 18 the "For a Soviet Sovereign Ukraine" group led by Oleksander Moroz elected Leonid Kravchuk
Leonid Kravchuk
Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk is a Ukrainian politician, the first President of Ukraine serving from December 5, 1991 until his resignation on July 19, 1994, a former Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and People's Deputy of Ukraine serving in the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine faction.After a...
as the Chairman of Parliament.
In October 1990, the Parliament amended the 1978 Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR
Constitution of Ukraine
The Constitution of Ukraine is the nation's fundamental law. The constitution was adopted and ratified at the 5th session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on 28 June 1996. The constitution was passed with 315 ayes out of 450 votes possible .Other laws and other normative legal acts of Ukraine...
, in particular to exclude Article 6. Prior to the amendments, the supreme governing body of the Ukrainian SSR was the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Ukrainian SSR.
On December 5, 1991 Leonid Kravchuk
Leonid Kravchuk
Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk is a Ukrainian politician, the first President of Ukraine serving from December 5, 1991 until his resignation on July 19, 1994, a former Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and People's Deputy of Ukraine serving in the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine faction.After a...
surrendered his parliamentary duties to accept the presidency
President of Ukraine
Prior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the...
of an independent Ukraine. The post of Parliament Chairman was awarded to Ivan Plyushch
Ivan Plyushch
Ivan Stepanovych Plyushch is a Ukrainian politician. He thrice served as the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada , from July 9, through July 23, 1990 , from December 5, 1991 through May 11, 1994 and from February 1, 2000 through May 14, 2002.-Biography:Ivan Plyushch was born on September 11, 1941 in...
. On June 18, 1992 several other parliamentarians left the "People's Council" group; among them were Levko Lukyanenko
Levko Lukyanenko
Levko Lukyanenko ; is a Ukrainian politician, and Soviet dissident and Hero of Ukraine.-Biography:Lukyanenko was born on 24 August 1928 in the Khrypivka village of Chernihiv Oblast, in the USSR...
, Pavlo Lazarenko
Pavlo Lazarenko
Pavlo Ivanovych Lazarenko is a former Ukrainian politician and former Prime Minister who, in August 2006, was convicted and sentenced to prison in the United States for money laundering, wire fraud and extortion...
, Anatoliy Kinakh
Anatoliy Kinakh
Anatoliy Kyrylovych Kinakh is a Ukrainian politician and honorary professor at the Mykolaiv Government Humanitarian University. Kinakh is a People's Deputy of Ukraine in the 6th convocation of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament...
, and many others.
Statistics
The first convocation had eight sessions where were submitted 85 legal documents. Six of the legal projects were initiated by the President of UkrainePresident of Ukraine
Prior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the...
and 38 by the Cabinet of Ministers. The most productive were the last couple of sessions (7th and 8th) where were submitted 60 legal projects.
Government Leaders during the convocation
Below is the list of the Chairmen of the 1st Convocation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.| Name | Party/Bloc | Date Elected | Date Resigned | Convocation | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivan Plyushch Ivan Plyushch Ivan Stepanovych Plyushch is a Ukrainian politician. He thrice served as the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada , from July 9, through July 23, 1990 , from December 5, 1991 through May 11, 1994 and from February 1, 2000 through May 14, 2002.-Biography:Ivan Plyushch was born on September 11, 1941 in... |
Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
December 5, 1991 | May 11, 1994 | 1 (12) | |
| Leonid Kravchuk Leonid Kravchuk Leonid Makarovych Kravchuk is a Ukrainian politician, the first President of Ukraine serving from December 5, 1991 until his resignation on July 19, 1994, a former Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and People's Deputy of Ukraine serving in the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine faction.After a... |
Communist (Bolsheviks) | July 23, 1990 | December 5, 1991 | 1 (12) | Resigned as a result of his election Ukrainian presidential election, 1991 The Ukrainian presidential election, 1991 was the first presidential election held in Ukraine following independence from the Soviet Union. The election was contested on December 1, 1991, with all six candidates campaigning in support of Ukrainian independence... as President President of Ukraine Prior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the... . |
| Volodymyr Ivashko Vladimir Ivashko Vladimir Antonovich Ivashko , was briefly the acting General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during the period from 24 August 1991 to 29 August 1991. On 24 August Mikhail Gorbachev resigned, and on 29 August the CPSU was suspended by the Supreme Soviet... |
June 4, 1990 | July 9, 1990 | 1 (12) | Resigned when elected to the Politburo of the CPSU Communist Party of the Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world... . |
Prime-minister
Note: an appointment to this office had little influence from the Verkhovna Rada until the constitutional reforms of 2004.| # | Picture | Name | Took office | Left office | Party | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Vitold Fokin Vitold Fokin Vitold Pavlovych Fokin , the son of a teacher, was appointed first deputy prime minister of Ukraine in November 1991.... |
23 October 1990 | 2 October 1992 | Communist Party of the Ukr. SSR / Non-partisan | acting to 14 November 1990 (continued from above) |
| |
Valentyn Symonenko Valentyn Symonenko Valentyn Symonenko is a Ukrainian statesman. Since late 1996 he has been chairman of the Ukrainian Chamber of commerce.In 1983-1992 he served as mayor of Odessa, then as the First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, and for a short period in October 1993, as the Acting Prime Minister of... |
2 October 1992 | 13 October 1992 | Non-partisan | acting | |
| 2 |  |
Leonid Kuchma Leonid Kuchma Leonid Danylovych Kuchma was the second President of independent Ukraine from 19 July 1994, to 23 January 2005. Kuchma took office after winning the 1994 presidential election against his rival, incumbent Leonid Kravchuk... |
13 October 1992 | 22 September 1993 | Non-partisan | |
| Yukhym Zvyahilsky Yukhym Zvyahilsky Yukhym Leonidovych Zvyahilsky is a Ukrainian politician. He was appointed acting Prime Minister on September 22, 1993... |
22 September 1993 | 16 June 1994 | Non-partisan | acting | ||
| 3 | |
Vitaliy Masol Vitaliy Masol Vitaliy Andriiovych Masol was confirmed as Prime Minister of Ukraine on June 16, 1994.President Kravchuk's appointment of an advocate of state-controlled economy as prime minister was seen as a pre-election concession to the communist-dominated parliament. Force into resignation 1990 by the... |
16 June 1994 | 1 March 1995 | Non-partisan |