Every year on June, 28 Ukraine celebrates national holiday – Constitution Day of Ukraine.
Exactly 30 years ago, on June, 28, 1996, there was adopted the Constitution of Ukraine at the fifth session of the second convocation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. This marked a crucial stage in the nation-building of independent Ukraine in the post-Soviet and European area. As stated in the preamble of the supreme legal act: «The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, on behalf of the Ukrainian people – citizens of Ukraine of all nationalities, expressing the sovereign will of the people, based on the centuries-old of Ukrainian state-building and on the right to self-determination realized by the Ukrainian nation, all the Ukrainian people, providing for the guarantee of human rights and freedoms and of the worthy conditions of human life, caring to develop and strengthening of civil harmony on Ukrainian soil, striving to develop and strengthen a democratic, social, law-based state, aware of our responsibility before God, our own conscience, past, present and future generations, guided by the Act of Declaration of the Independence of Ukraine of 24 August 1991, approved by the national vote of 1 December 1991, adopts this Constitution – the Fundamental Law of Ukraine».
The Constitution of Ukraine is the main legislative act, where there are regulated the main political and legal foundations of the state and society.
The first known code of laws of Ukraine-Rus’ is «Rus’ Pravda». It was written during the rule of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, and there were established the foundational principles for governing political, social, and economic processes. In the following historical periods there were applied a number of theoretical and legal instruments in implementing the legal tradition of the constitutional process on the regulation of social and political processes in the Ukrainian lands.
A major role played the Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk, which was adopted in 1710, and was called «Pacts and Constitutions of the Laws and Liberties of the Zaporozhian Host». There were established the rights and obligations of voters and state power of the Hetmanate, and regulated other aspects of social and political life.
During the period of national liberation movements in 1917-1921, there were adopted legislative acts aimed at creating an independent and sovereign Ukrainian state.
During the Soviet era, in the Ukrainian SSR the Constitution of the 1938 was in effect. And later, in 1977 there was adopted the new Fundamental Law of the Republic. After the declaration of independence, the state authorities were faced with the task of creating a new Fundamental Law of Ukraine.
During 1991–1996, many organizational and legal measures have been taken to lay the foundations of the new Constitution of Ukraine. Finally, on June 28, 1996, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the new Constitution of Ukraine of a European standard. The Fundamental Law of Ukraine consists of a Preamble and 15 chapters that regulate the socio-political life in the state. The Constitution defines Ukraine as a sovereign and independent, democratic, social, law-based state, and the human being, his or her life and health, honour and dignity, inviolability and security as the highest social value.
On occasion, we would like to say thank you to our defenders, who defend the territorial integrity, national interests, and sovereignty of our state against the Russian aggression, and also – norms of the Fundamental Law of Ukraine.
