Ukraine Constitution Day 2023: Date, History, Facts, Activities

Until 1991, Ukraine was a member of the Soviet Union, and during that time it adopted four distinct constitutions, including the 1978 Constitution of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

Ukraine Constitution Day is celebrated annually on June 28 to commemorate the adoption of a new constitution in the Ukraine. On this date in 1996, the Ukrainian parliament — also known as the ‘Verkhovna Rada’ — resolved to approve the new document. Since then, Constitution Day has been observed annually as a national holiday.

The background of Ukraine Constitution Day

Until 1991, Ukraine was a member of the Soviet Union, and during that time it adopted four distinct constitutions, including the 1978 Constitution of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The Ukraine waited three years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 before holding a presidential election, which Leonid Kuchma won in 1994.

In 1995, Kuchma signed a Constitutional Agreement and then established the Constitutional Commission, which eventually led the Ukrainian parliament — the ‘Verkhovna Rada’ — to meet and ratify the new constitution in 1996. In a session without interruptions that lasted an entire day and night, 315 deputies voted in favour of the revised document that would grant Ukrainians greater freedom of expression and human rights. In addition, it gradually expanded the rights of private property and established Ukrainian as the sole official language of the nation. Immediately thereafter, Ukraine Constitution Day became a paid holiday, and it is the only holiday mentioned in the constitution itself.

Constitutions are documents that outline the fundamental legal principles or precedents of a nation or even a business. These documents determine how these entities are to be governed and limit the amount of authority a government or leader possesses so as not to violate the fundamental rights that have been predefined. In other terms, a constitution is a document that contains the most important laws of a country or organisation and cannot be ignored.

UKRAINE CONSTITUTION DAY ACTIVITIES

Go to a procession

Kyiv, the capital of the Ukraine, celebrates the festival annually with parades, fireworks, and concerts. Even some of the most prominent artists in Ukraine perform live!