Ukraine to elect a new President

On January 17, 2010, Ukrainians will go to the polls to elect a new president.

According to the Constitution, the President is the Head of State, the guarantor of state sovereignty and territorial indivisibility of Ukraine, the observance of the Constitution of Ukraine and human and citizens' rights and freedoms.

The President of Ukraine is elected by the citizens of Ukraine for a five-year term, on the basis of universal, equal, and direct suffrage, by secret ballot.

A citizen of Ukraine who has attained the age of thirty-five, has the right to vote, has resided in Ukraine for the past ten years prior to the day of elections, and has command of the state language, may be elected as the President of Ukraine.

The President of Ukraine shall not have another representative mandate, hold office in bodies of state power or in associations of citizens, and also perform any other paid or entrepreneurial activity, or be a member of an administrative body or board of supervisors of an enterprise that is aimed at making profit.

According to the Constitution, the President of Ukraine:

1. ensures state independence, national security and the legal succession of the state;

2. addresses the people with messages and the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine with annual and special messages on the domestic and foreign situation of Ukraine;

3. represents the state in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the State, conducts negotiations, and concludes international treaties of Ukraine;

4. adopts decisions on the recognition of foreign states;

5. appoints and dismisses heads of diplomatic missions of Ukraine to other states and to international organizations; accepts credentials and letters of recall of diplomatic representatives of foreign states;

6. designates an All-Ukrainian referendum regarding amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine in accordance with Article 156 of this Constitution, proclaims an All-Ukrainian referendum on popular initiative;

7. designates special elections to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine within the terms established by this Constitution;

8. terminates the authority of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in cases specified by this Constitution;

9. puts forward, upon the proposal by the parliamentary coalition formed in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as provided for by Article 83 of the Constitution of Ukraine, the submission on the appointment by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the Prime Minister of Ukraine, no later than fifteen days after the receipt of such a proposal;

10. puts forward to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine the submission on the appointment of the Minister of Defense of Ukraine and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine;

11. appoints to office and dismisses from office the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, with the consent of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine;

12. appoints and dismisses one-half of the composition of the Council of the National Bank of Ukraine;

13. appoints and dismisses one-half of the composition of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting;

14. puts forward to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine the submission on the appointment to office and dismissal from office of the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine;

15. suspends the operation of acts by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on grounds of their inconsistency with this Constitution and challenges concurrently the constitutionality of such acts before the Constitutional Court of Ukraine;

16. revokes acts of the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea;

17. is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; appoints to office and dismisses from office the high command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations; administers in the spheres of national security and defense of the State;

18. heads the Council of National Security and Defense of Ukraine;

19. puts forward to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine the submission on the declaration of a state of war, and, in case of armed aggression against Ukraine, adopts a decision on the use of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations established in accordance with laws of Ukraine;

20. adopts a decision in accordance with the law on the general or partial mobilization and the introduction of martial law in Ukraine or in its particular areas, in the event of a threat of aggression, danger to the state independence of Ukraine;

21. adopts a decision, in the event of necessity, on the introduction of a state of emergency in Ukraine or in its particular areas, and also in the event of necessity, declares certain areas of Ukraine as zones of an ecological emergency situation — with subsequent confirmation of these decisions by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine;

22. appoints and dismisses one-third of the composition to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine;

23. establishes courts by the procedure determined by law;

24. confers high military ranks, high diplomatic and other high special ranks and class orders;

25. confers state awards; establishes presidential distinctions and confers them;

26. adopts decisions on the acceptance for citizenship of Ukraine and the termination of citizenship of Ukraine, and on the granting of asylum in Ukraine;

27. grants pardons;

28. creates, within the limits of the funds envisaged in the State Budget of Ukraine, consultative, advisory and other subsidiary bodies and services for the exercise of his or her authority;

29. signs laws adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine;

30. has the right to veto laws adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (except for laws on amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine) with their subsequent return for repeat consideration by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine;

31. exercises other powers determined by the Constitution of Ukraine.