Unit 2 the Constitution of Ukraine

I. Read and memorize the following words and phrases:

on behalf of	від імені
to assure rights	гарантувати права
sovereign	суверенний
natural resources	природні ресурси
obligation	обов’язок
right to	право на
political beliefs	політичні переконання
inviolability	недоторканість
non-interference	невтручання
dwelling	житло
in compliance with	згідно з
heritage	спадщина
taxes	податки
branches of power	гілки влади
legislative	законодавчий
executive	виконавчий
judicial	судовий
to draft laws	складати законопроекти
сourt	cуд
judge	суддя
to nominate	призначати на посаду

II. Define the word ‘Constitution’. What do you think the constitution is?

III. Read the text. Use dictionary if necessary.

Governed by the Act of Ukraine's Independence of August 24, 1991, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on behalf of the Ukrainian people adopted the Constitution — the Fundamental Law on June 28, 1996.

The Constitution establishes the country's political system, assures rights, freedoms and duties of citizens, and is the basis for its laws. It asserts that Ukraine is a sovereign and independent, democratic, social, legal state. It is a unitarian state withsingle citizenship.

Ukraine is a republic. The people are the only source of power which is exercised directly and through the bodies of state power and local self-government.

The land, mineral raw materials, air space, water and other natural resources which are on the territory of Ukraine are objects of the property right of Ukrainian people.

The state symbols of Ukraine are the State Flag, the State Emblem and the State Anthem of Ukraine. The State Flag is a blue and yellow banner made of two equal horizontal stripes. The State Emblem of Ukraine is Tryzub (Trident). The State Anthem of Ukraine is the national anthem with the music by M.Verbitsky and with the lyrics by P.Chubynsky.

The Constitution states that every person has the right to the free development of his/her personality, and has obligations before society where free and full development of personality is assured. Citizens have equal Constitutional rights and freedoms and are equal before the law.

There are no privileges or restrictions based upon race, colour of skin, political and other beliefs, gender, ethnic and social origin, property, ownership, position, place of residence, language, religion.

The articles of the Constitution guarantee the rights to life, personal inviolability and the inviolability of dwelling, noninterference in private and family life, free choice of residence, work, rest, education, social security, housing, health protection, medical care andmedical insurance, legal assistance, a safe and healthy environment.

Defence of the Motherland, of the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine and respect for the state's symbols are the duty of citizens. Citizens of Ukraine perform military services in compliance with the law. No person may damage the environment and cultural heritage. Every person shall pay taxes and duties in the order and amount determined by law.

The Constitution outlines the structure of the national government and specifies its powers and duties. Ukraine is a parliamentary-presidential democracy. The state power in Ukraine is based on the division of authority into legislative, executive and judicial. The President is Head of State. The Prime Minister and his Cabinet of Ministers is the senior executive body. The parliament (Verkhovna Rada) which is the highest legislative authority, nominates the Prime Minister. The parliament adopts legislation, ratifies international agreements, and approves the budget. Its 450 members are elected to five-year terms. Judicial power in Ukraine is vested in the courts of law. The Constitution mandates a pluralistic political system and protection of basic human rights and liberties in Ukraine.

The Constitution defines the territorial structure of Ukraine. It is composed of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, 24 regions, districts, cities, districts in cities, settlements and villages. Cities of Kyiv and Sevastopol possess a special status determined by law. The capital of Ukraine is Kyiv. The state language is Ukrainian. The monetary unit of Ukraine is the Hryvnia (UAH).

The Constitution of Ukraine consists of 15 chapters and 161 articles.

The day of its adoption is a state holiday — the Day of the Constitution of Ukraine.

IV. Give English equivalents for:

- керуючись законом про незалежність України

- конституція визначає політичний устрій країни

- об’єкти права власності

- яка здійснюється безпосередньо

- складатися з двох рівних горизонтальних смуг

- мати право на вільний розвиток своєї особистості

- особиста недоторканість

- медична допомога

- страхування

- податки і збори

- законодавчий

- виконавчий

- судовий

- виборець

- у відповідності до закону

V. Think of 8-10 questions to ask your fellow students about the Constitution.

VI. Make a list of key words to speak about the Constitution of Ukraine.

VII. Make up a plan to the text and retell it.

SUPPLEMENTARY READING

I. Read the following texts. Render them into Ukrainian.

NATIONAL FLAG OF UKRAINE. NATIONAL EMBLEM OF UKRAINE.

The combination of the blue and yellow colours reaches far back into pre-Christian times. These colours predominated on the flags of the medieval Kyivan State and were prominent during the Cossack age.

On 22 March 1918 the blue-and-yellow flag was ratified as the national flag of the independent Ukrainian National Republic, and with the unification of all Ukrainian lands in 1919 it became the only Ukrainian flag. Following the declaration of independence, the blue-and-yellow flag was adopted as the national flag of Ukraine by an Act of Parliament on 28 January 1992.

The trident is an ancient symbol of the Ukrainian people. In the 10^th century it became coat of arms of the Kyivan princes, including Volodymyr the Great and Yaroslav the Wise.

With the restoration of Ukrainian independence, the trident was adopted as the official emblem of the Ukrainian National Republic in 1918.

In 1992 the Trident once again be­came the national emblem of Ukraine.

Notes: Coat-of-arms - герб

A CONSTITUTION – THE STANDARD OF LEGITIMACY

I. Read the text. Use dictionary if necessary.

Constitution is the body of fundamental laws of a state, laying down the system of government and defining the relations of the legislature, executive, and judiciary to each other and to the citizens.

Written constitutions. Since the French Revolution (1789-1799) almost all countries (the UK is an exception) have adopted written constitutions. In some states, such as the United States, the constitution is a specific written document; in others, such as the United Kingdom, it is a collection of documents, statutes, and traditional practices that are generally accepted as governing political matters. Virtually every state claims to have a constitution, but not every government conducts itself in a consistently constitutional manner.

In most Western countries the constitution is a scheme of government that has been deliberately adopted by the people: examples are the Constitution of the United States adopted in 1787 (ratified in 1789) and still in essentials unchanged; the constitution of the Weimar Republic or that of the Federal Republic of Germany, brought into force in 1949; and the constitutions that France has had since the Revolution of 1789-1799. The constitution in these countries is the basis of public law; it is usually enacted or adopted with special formalities; special processes are devised for its amendment and sometimes safeguards are inserted to ensure that certain provisions are unalterable.

The English constitution. The constitution of the UK does not exist as a single document but as an accumulation of customs and precedents, together with laws defining certain of its aspects. Among the latter are Magna Carta (1215), the petition of right (1628), and the Habeas Corpus Act (1679), limiting the royal powers of taxation and of imprisonment; the Bill of Rights (1689) and the Act of Settlement (1701) establishing the supremacy of Parliament and the independence of the judiciary; and the Parliament Acts (1911 and 1949), limiting the powers of the Lords. The sources of English constitutional law are diffuse – statutes, juridical precedent, textbooks, lawbooks, the writings of historians and political theorists, the biographies and autobiographies of statesmen, the columns of every serious newspaper, the volumes of Hansard, the minutiae of every type of government record and publication. This is what is meant by saying the English constitution is “unwritten”: it is not formally enacted; its rules have to be sought out in a dozen fields, not in any one code. Similarly, it is flexible, and here the contrast is with a rigid constitution. There are no special safeguards for constitutional rules; constitutional law can be changed, amended, or abolished just like any rule of private law; there is no field in which Parliament is forbidden to legislate.

II. Work in groups of 2-3. Discuss the following issues:

a) Written vs. unwritten constitutions. Their pros and cons;

b) Constitutions of other countries.