When is Ukrainian Constitution Day?
Known as 'День Конституції', this holiday is celebrated on June 28th and is a public holiday to mark Ukraine's adoption of a new constitution on 28 June 1996.
If 28 June falls on a weekend, a public holiday will be observed on the following working weekday.
History of Ukrainian Constitution Day
The start of the 1990s saw the collapse of the Soviet Union. On 24 August 1991, the Ukrainian government adopted the Act of Declaration of Constitution of Ukraine, which resulted in a referendum was that over 92% in favour of their independence.
Following the independence of Ukraine, a new constitution was drafted to replace Constitution (Fundamental Law) of the Ukrainian SSR which had been adopted in 1978.
The new Ukrainian Constitution (State Basic Law) was adopted in 1996 at the 5th session of the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) of Ukraine of the 2nd convocation. 315 out of 450 deputies of the Ukrainian Parliament voted in favour of the new constitution. The Constitution of Ukraine went into effect on the day of its adoption on June 28th 1996.
The adoption of the constitution established a legal foundation of independent Ukraine. It was considered progressive in terms of human rights and freedoms for Ukrainians. The Constitution defined the strong presidential power, guaranteed the rights of private property, introduced new symbols of the state, and defined the status of the Ukrainian language as the only official language.
Ukraine was the last of the countries from the former Soviet Union to adopt a constitution.
Ukrainian Constitution Day has been a public holiday since 1996 and the capital city of Kyiv will host a number of events to mark the day.
