The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is the unicameral parliament of Ukraine. It consists of 450 deputies presided over by a speaker. The Verkhovna Rada meets in the Verkhovna Rada building in Ukraine's capital, Kyiv.
The Verkhovna Rada developed out of the systems of the republican representative body known in the Soviet Union as the Supreme Soviet (Supreme Council), which was first established on 26 June 1938 as a type of legislature of the Ukrainian SSR after the dissolution of the Congress of Soviets of the Ukrainian SSR.Verkhovna Rada in the Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine
The 12th convocation of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (elected in 1990) issued the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine, introduced elements of a market economy and political liberalization, and officially changed the numeration of its sessions, proclaiming itself the first convocation of the "Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine". The current parliament is the ninth convocation. Because of the war in Donbas and Russia's unilateral occupation and annexation of Crimea, elections for the constituencies situated in Donbas and Crimea were not held in the 2014 and 2019 elections; hence the current composition of the Verkhovna Rada consists of 424 deputies.
The Verkhovna Rada previously used a mixed voting system, in which 50% of the seats were distributed under party-list proportional representation with 5% election threshold and the other 50% through first-past-the-post voting in single-member constituencies.Parliament passes law on parliamentary elections, Kyiv Post (17 November 2011) The 50/50 mixed elections method was used in the 2002, 2012, 2014, and 2019 elections; however, in 2006 and 2007, the elections were held under a proportional system only.Ukrainian communists to seek return to proportional electoral system , Interfax-Ukraine (8 November 2012) According to the election law that became valid on 1 January 2020, the next election to the Verkhovna Rada, expected to be held after the Russian invasion of Ukraine ends, will be held under a proportional system.
Name The name Rada () means "council". The institution originated in the time of Kievan Rus' and then represented a council of boyars and of the higher clergy. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Zaporozhian Cossacks used the term to refer to the meetings where major decisions were made; the Cossacks elected new councils by popular vote. The Ukrainian People's Republic, between 17 March 1917 and 29 April 1918, had a Central Rada. The West Ukrainian People's Republic and the Ukrainian government-in-exile each had a UNRada (Ukrainian National Rada).
The current name of the parliament derives from the Soviet practice of referring to the national parliament and parliaments of its constituent republics' Supreme Soviets (). Like in many other Soviet republics, Verkhovna Rada is a localized version of this term used in the Ukrainian SSR. After Ukraine regained independence in 1991, the term Verkhovnaya Rada () had been in use in both Russian and Ukrainian-based russophone media as a loan translation of the Ukrainian term. Verkhovna, the feminine form of the adjective meaning supreme, derives from the Ukrainian word meaning "top".
Another name, less commonly used, is the Parliament of Ukraine ().
History
1917–1990 Central Rada in 1917–18 Ukrainian National Rada in 1918 (West Ukraine) Labour Congress of Ukraine in 1919 (along with West Ukrainian delegates) Rada of the Republic in 1921 (exiled in Tarnów, Poland)
The Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic replaced the All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets and was a type of legislative authority of Soviet Ukraine according to the 1937 Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR. The All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets had already been renamed the Supreme Council in 1927.Serhy Yekelchyk '"Ukraine: Birth of a Modern Nation, Oxford University Press (2007), , page 89 The Congress of Soviets was initiated by its Central Executive Committee, which it elected and held accountable. The last chairman of the committee was Hryhoriy Petrovsky (also known as Grigoriy Petrovskiy in Russian transliteration).
The first elections to the Supreme Council of the Ukrainian SSR took place on 26 June 1938. The first session of the parliament took place in Kyiv from 25 July to 28 July 1938. The first chairman of the council was Mykhailo Burmystenko, who later died during World War II. In 1938, a Presidium was elected by the council that was chaired by Leonid Korniyets. The Presidium represented the council whenever it was not in session.
During the war, the Presidium was evacuated to the city of Saratov in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. On 29 June 1943, the Presidium issued an order postponing elections for the new convocation for one year while extending the first convocation. On 8 January 1944, the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR, in agreement with the Communist Party, decided to relocate the Presidium of the Supreme Council from Kharkiv to Kyiv. New elections were scheduled for 9 February 1947 for the Council.
1990–present Until 24 August 1991, the Verkhovna Rada kept the name Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR.
The first partially free elections to the Verkhovna Rada and local councils of people's deputies were held on 4 March 1990. Although the Communist Party still remained in control, a "Democratic Bloc" was formed by numerous parties, including the People's Movement of Ukraine (Rukh), Helsinki Watch Committee of Ukraine, Party of Greens of Ukraine, and many others.
The twelfth convocation of the Supreme Council of the Ukrainian SSR issued the Declaration of State Sovereignty of Ukraine on 16 July 1990, and declared Ukrainian independence on 24 August 1991, at approximately 6 p.m. local time. At the time, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada was Leonid Kravchuk. The Act of Ukrainian Independence was overwhelmingly supported in a national referendum held on 1 December 1991. On 12 September 1991, the parliament adopted the law "On the Legal Succession of Ukraine". Thus, the VR became the Supreme Council of Ukraine.
The Constitution of Ukraine was adopted by the thirteenth convocation of the Verkhovna Rada on 28 June 1996, at approximately 9 a.m. local time. The parliament's fourteenth convocation officially changed the numbering of the convocations, proclaiming itself the third (democratic and independent) convocation of the Verkhovna Rada. After the Orange Revolution, constitutional amendments were adopted in December 2004, by the fourth (fifteenth) convocation of the Verkhovna Rada. On 1 October 2010, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine overturned the 2004 Amendments, considering them unconstitutional.Update: Return to 1996 Constitution strengthens president, raises legal questions, Kyiv Post (1 October 2010) On 21 February 2014, parliament reinstated the December 2004 amendments to the constitution.Ukrainian parliament reinstates 2004 Constitution, Interfax-Ukraine (21 February 2014)
In 2017 and 2018, the website of the Verkhovna Rada was the most popular among all websites of the parliaments of UN member states.
In 2025, the Rada resumed live broadcasts of parliamentary sessions following a three-year ban it imposed due to security reasons following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Location
The Verkhovna Rada meets in a neo-classical building within Constitution Square on Mykhaila Hrushevsky Street, Kyiv. The building adjoins Mariinskyi Park and the 18th-century Mariinskyi Palace, the official residence of the President of Ukraine.
After the transfer of the capital of the Ukrainian SSR from Kharkiv to Kyiv in 1934, several government buildings were planned for the city. In 1936, a contest for the construction of the parliament building was won by architect Volodymyr Zabolotny.
The original building was constructed from 1936 to 1938. Destroyed in the Second World War, the building was reconstructed from 1945 to 1947. The rebuilt glass dome is one metre higher than the original.
Other locations Palace Ukraina, site of President Leonid Kuchma's inauguration Ukrainian House (21 January 2000) Building of budget committee (6–8 vulytsia Bankova on 4 April 2013)
Mission and authority
The Verkhovna Rada is the sole body of legislative power in Ukraine. The parliament determines the principles of domestic and foreign policy, introduces amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine, adopts laws, approves the state budget, designates elections for the President of Ukraine, impeaches the president, declares war and peace, appoints the Prime Minister of Ukraine, appoints or confirms certain officials, appoints one-third of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, ratifies and denounces international treaties, and exercises certain control functions. The constitution of Ukraine stipulates that the Verkhovna Rada is authorized to fulfill its functions under the condition that at least two-thirds of its constitutional composition (300 or more people's deputies) are elected. A record number of people's deputies remained in the Council. What's next?, Civil movement "Chesno" (8 December 2023)
In Ukraine there are no requirements for the minimum number of signatures (of deputies) to register a bill. In general the parliament adopts about 200 bills per year. An average of five to six bills are registered daily in parliament. As a result of this in the spring of 2019 parliament had more than 10 thousand registered and under consideration bills it had yet to debate.
All procedural regulations are contained in the Law on Regulations of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.(Official document) Law of Ukraine on Regulations of the Supreme Council of Ukraine The latest version of the document was adopted on 16 December 2012, in which through the initiative of the President of Ukraine amendments were made concerning registration and voting by parliamentarians.(Official document) Law of Ukraine on introducing changes to Regulations of the Supreme Council of Ukraine 2012 became a year of numerous changes in regards to the document, among which were changes to the election of the chairman. Bills are usually considered following the procedure of three readings; the President of Ukraine must sign a law before it can be officially promulgated.The interns of the Program of Internship at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and Central Executive Bodies for 2012–2013 learned the procedure of submission and passage of bills in the Verkhovna Rada , Verkhovna Rada (14 December 2012)Ukraine: Energy Policy Review 2006, International Energy Agency, 24 October 2006, (page 130)
Until 2017 the parliament appointed and dismissed judges from their posts and permitted detention or arrest of judges (those powers were transferred to the High Council of Justice).Poroshenko signs law on High Council of Justice, Interfax-Ukraine (3 January 2017)President signs law on High Council of Justice – MP Yemets, Ukrinform (29 December 2016)Amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine passed: Ukraine takes a major step towards a European System of Justice, Lexology (9 June 2016)
Composition The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral legislature with 450 people's deputies () elected on the basis of equal and direct universal suffrage through a secret ballot.
Parliamentary factions, groups, and parties
All members of parliament are grouped into parliamentary factions and groups. Members of parliament who were elected from a certain party list are not necessarily members of that party. Parties that break the 5% electoral threshold form factions in the parliament. The formation of official parliamentary factions is regulated by the Verkhovna Rada's rules and procedures.