al security
policy on domestic and international matters and advising the
president; a Presidential Administration that helps draft
presidential edicts and provides policy support to the president;
and a Council of Regions that serves as an advisory body

Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; under
recent amendments to Ukraine's election law, the Rada's seats are
allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 3% or
more of the national electoral vote; members serve four-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party/bloc - Our Ukraine 24%,
CPU 20%, United Ukraine 12%, SPU 7%, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 7%,
United Social Democratic Party 6%, other 24%; seats by party/bloc -
Our Ukraine 101, Regions of Ukraine 61, CPU 59, Working Ukraine 14,
United Social Democratic Party 33, Agrarian Party 22, SPU 20, Yuliya
Tymoshenko Bloc 19, United Ukraine 19, People's Democratic
Party-Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs 16, Center Group 15,
Democratic Initiatives 14, unaffiliated 57 (December 2004)
note: following the election, United Ukraine splintered into the
Agrarian Party, European Choice, People's Choice, People's
Democratic Party, Regions of Ukraine, and Working
Ukraine-Industrialists and Entrepreneurs; these factions have since
undergone a number of changes
elections: last held 31 March 2002 (next to be held March 2006)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders:
Agrarian Party [Volodymyr LYTVYN]; Communist Party of Ukraine or
CPU [Petro SYMONENKO]; Democratic Initiatives [Stepan HAVRYSH];
Industrialists and Entrepreneurs [Anatoliy KINAKH]; Our Ukraine bloc
(comprised of several parties the most prominent of which are Rukh,
the Ukrainian People's Party, Reforms and Order, and Solidarity)
[Viktor YUSHCHENKO]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Valeriy
PUSTOVOYTENKO]; Regions of Ukraine [Viktor YANUKOVYCH]; Socialist
Party of Ukraine or SPU [Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman]; United Social
Democratic Party [Viktor MEDVEDCHUK]; Working Ukraine [Serhiy
TYHYPKO]; Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc [Yuliya TYMOSHENKO]
note: as well as numerous smaller parties; United Ukraine and Center
Group are not actual political parties, but rather deputy groups
(factions not based on a party)

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation: