When Ukraine became independent in 1991, it inherited an underdeveloped set of state institutions with which to manage its transformation to statehood. The task of establishing a legal base for the operation of the new polity was the responsibility of the parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, an institution itself undergoing colossal upheaval. From 1991, it was transformed from a provincial republican Soviet into the national legislature of a sovereign state and from a nominal, symbolic body into a genuine legislative and representative institution. Therefore, the process of building parliament as...

This book examines the development of the Ukrainian parliament - the Verkhovna Rada - from before Ukraine's independence in 1991 to the present. It shows how the parliament transformed itself from a provincial republican Soviet to the national legislature of a sovereign state and from a nominal, symbolic body to a genuine legislative and representative institution. It discusses the key role of parliament in the wider state-building process and examines the evolution of political factions and the committee system in the parliament.