List of presidents of Ukraine

Last updated

Presidential standard of Ukraine Flag of the President of Ukraine.svg
Presidential standard of Ukraine

The modern Ukrainian presidency was formed when the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic passed a law on 5 July 1991 establishing the office of the "President of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic." [1] Upon the proclamation of Ukrainian independence from the Soviet Union on 24 August 1991, the title was changed to the "President of Ukraine." The first election of the President of Ukraine, which was held on 1 December 1991, was won by Leonid Kravchuk.

Contents

Every president of Ukraine except for Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been a People's Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada prior to their election. Kravchuk was the first president to resign from the office, following a power struggle with Prime Minister Leonid Kuchma. After the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, Viktor Yanukovych abandoned his office and fled the country. He was subsequently impeached, and replaced by Oleksandr Turchynov as the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, who serves as acting president when the office is vacant. Early presidential elections were held on 25 May 2014 and won by Petro Poroshenko; Poroshenko was inaugurated as the fifth president on 7 June 2014. On 18 June 2015, Yanukovych was officially deprived of the title of President of Ukraine. [2] After defeating Poroshenko, Volodymyr Zelenskyy was inaugurated as the sixth president of Ukraine on 20 May 2019.

List

Party legend

   Independent    Our Ukraine    Party of Regions    Fatherland    Petro Poroshenko Bloc    Servant of the People

#PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
Term of officeCabinetsElectionsPrior officePolitical alliance
Leonid Kravchuk (1).jpg Leonid Kravchuk [3]
Леонід Кравчук
(1934–2022)

Leonid Kravchuk Signature 1991.png
24 August
1991 [a]
5 December
1991
Fokin (1990–92) Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Independent
1 5 December
1991
19 July
1994
1991
2 years, 329 days Kuchma (1992–93)
Declared independence of Ukraine in 1991. Lost re-election campaign
2 Leonida Kuchmi, 2019, 2 (cropped).jpg Leonid Kuchma [4]
Леонід Кучма
(1938–)

Leonid Kuchma Signature 1996.png
19 July
1994 [5]
23 January
2005
Masol II (1994–95) 1994
2nd Prime Minister of Ukraine Independent [6]
Marchuk (1995–96)
Lazarenko (1996–97)
Pustovoitenko (1997–99)
10 years, 188 days
Yushchenko (1999–2001) 1999
Kinakh (2001–02)
Yanukovych I (2002–04)
Took office following Kravchuk's resignation. Won re-election in 1994 and 1999. Opted out of third term in office [7]
3
Portret 3-go prezidenta Ukrayini Viktora Iushchenka.jpeg
Viktor Yushchenko [8]
Віктор Ющенко
(1954–)

Viktor Yushchenko's signature.svg
23 January
2005
25 February
2010
Tymoshenko I (2005) 2004 7th Prime Minister of Ukraine Our Ukraine [9]
5 years, 66 days Yekhanurov (2005–06)
Yanukovych II (2006–07)
Tymoshenko II (2007–10)
Took office following the Orange Revolution. Presided over the Great Recession in Ukraine. Lost re-election campaign [10]
4
Viktor Yanukovych official portrait.jpg
Viktor Yanukovych [11]
Віктор Янукович
(1950–)

Viktor Yanukovych signature.svg
25 February
2010
22 February
2014
Azarov I (2010–12) 2010 12th Prime Minister of Ukraine Party of Regions [12]
3 years, 362 days Azarov II (2012–14)
Elected in 2010. Removed from office following the 2014 Ukrainian revolution. [13] Was stripped of the title after leaving office [14]
Oleksandr Turchynov in August 2014.jpg
Oleksandr Turchynov [15]
Олександр Турчинов
(1964–)

Oleksandr Turchynov Signature 2014.png
23 February
2014
7 June
2014
Yatsenyuk I (2014) [16] Chairman of the
Verkhovna Rada
Fatherland [17]
0 years, 115 days
Temporarily assumed office following the 2014 Ukrainian revolution. Led the country during the invasion of Crimea
5
Official portrait of Petro Poroshenko.jpg
Petro Poroshenko [18]
Петро Порошенко
(1965–)

Petro Poroshenko Signature 2014.png
7 June
2014
20 May
2019
Yatsenyuk II (2014–2016) 2014 Minister of Trade and Economic Development Petro Poroshenko Bloc
4 years, 347 days Groysman (2016–2019)
Elected in 2014. Presided over the first stage of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Lost re-election campaign
6 Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2022.jpg Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Володимир Зеленський
(1978–)

Autograph-VolodymyrZelensky.png
20 May
2019
Incumbent 2019
(no prior elected office)
Servant of the People
4 years, 317 days Honcharuk (2019–2020)
Shmyhal (2020–present)
Elected in 2019. Incumbent. Led the country during the Russian invasion

Timeline

Volodymyr ZelenskyyPetro PoroshenkoOleksandr TurchynovViktor YanukovychViktor YushchenkoLeonid KuchmaLeonid KravchukList of presidents of Ukraine

Social poll rankings of Ukrainian presidents

No.PresidentPolitical party
2020 [19]
2021 [20]
Aggr.
1 Leonid Kravchuk Independent 030504
2 Leonid Kuchma Independent010101
3 Viktor Yushchenko Our Ukraine 060606
4 Viktor Yanukovych Party of Regions 050405
5 Petro Poroshenko Petro Poroshenko Bloc 040303
6 Volodymyr Zelenskyy Servant of the People 020202

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

Notes

a. ^ Although Leonid Kravchuk's official inauguration ceremony was conducted on 22 August 1992, he carried out most of the presidential responsibilities temporarily ceded to him as Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada from 24 August 1991 [21] until 5 December 1991 when he became President of Ukraine in his own right. He had served as Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR since 23 July 1990.

b. ^ As President of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

c. ^ "In the event of the pre-term termination of authority of the President of Ukraine in accordance with Articles 108, 109, 110 and 111 of this Constitution, the execution of duties of the President of Ukraine, for the period pending the elections and the assumption of office of the new President of Ukraine, shall be vested in the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine." —Constitution of Ukraine, Article 112.

Footnotes
  1. Laws of Ukraine . Vekhovna Rada of Ukraine decree No. 1295-XII: On the President of the Ukrainian SSR (Про Президента Української РСР) . Adopted on 5 July 1991. (Ukrainian)
  2. Published law deprives Yanukovych of presidential rank, UNIAN (17 June 2015)
  3. "Leonid Kravchuk". Official web-site of President of Ukraine. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  4. "Leonid Kuchma". Official web-site of President of Ukraine. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  5. Laws of Ukraine . Vekhovna Rada of Ukraine decree No. 106/94-ВР: On the date of oath of the President of Ukraine (Про дату принесення присяги Президентом України) . Adopted on 14 July 1994. (Ukrainian)
  6. "Kuchma Leonid Danylovych". Election of President 99 (in Ukrainian). Central Election Commission of Ukraine . Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  7. Laws of Ukraine . Constitutional Court of Ukraine decision No. 22-рп/2003: Decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine regarding the case of the constitutional petition of 53 and 47 People's Deputies of Ukraine concerning the official interpretation of the provisions of Article 103 of the Constitution of Ukraine (right on the timing of tenure of the President of Ukraine (Рішення Конституційного Суду України у справі за конституційними поданнями 53 і 47 народних депутатів України про офіційне тлумачення положення частини третьої статті 103 Конституції України (справа щодо строків перебування на посту Президента України)) . Adopted on 25 December 2003. (Ukrainian)
  8. "Victor Yushchenko". Official web-site of President of Ukraine. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  9. "History of "Our Ukraine"". Informational server "Our Ukraine" (in Ukrainian). Our Ukraine . Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  10. "Yushchenko loses re-election bid". The Washington Times. 28 January 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  11. "The History of Presidency". Official web-site of President of Ukraine. Archived from the original on 2 March 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  12. "Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych". Elections of the President of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Central Election Commission of Ukraine . Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  13. Laws of Ukraine . Vekhovna Rada of Ukraine decree No. 757-VII: On withdrawal of the President of Ukraine from the implementation of constitutional powers and calling early presidential elections in Ukraine (Про самоусунення Президента України від виконання конституційних повноважень та призначення позачергових виборів Президента України) . Adopted on 22 February 2014. (Ukrainian)
  14. Ukrainian Parliament Deprives Yanukovych Of Presidential Title, Radio Free Europe (4 February 2015)
  15. "Ukraine: Speaker Oleksandr Turchynov named interim president". BBC News . 23 February 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  16. "Government of Ukraine". Web-portal of Ukrainian Government. Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine . Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  17. "Oleksandr Turchynov" (in Ukrainian). Batkivshchyna . Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  18. "Petro Poroshenko". Official web-site of President of Ukraine. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  19. "Оцінка президентів: найбільше довіряють Зеленському, найкращим вважають Кучму". Українська правда (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  20. "Оцінка президентів: найбільше довіряють Зеленському, найкращим вважають Кучму". Українська правда (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  21. Laws of Ukraine . Vekhovna Rada of Ukraine decree No. 1430-XII: On granting additional powers to the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Про надання додаткових повноважень Голові Верховної Ради України) . Adopted on 24 August 1991. (Ukrainian)