Prime Minister of Ukraine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Prime Minister of Ukraine
Coat of arms of Ukraine
Incumbent Denys Shmyhal since 4 March 2020
Style	Mr Prime Minister (informal) His Excellency (diplomatic)
Member of	Cabinet National Security and Defense Council
Seat	Government Building, Kyiv, Ukraine
Nominator	President of Ukraine
Appointer	Verkhovna Rada
Term length	Five years unless the Verkhovna Rada is dissolved sooner No term limits specified
Inaugural holder	Volodymyr Vynnychenko
Formation	28 June 1917; 108 years ago (1917-06-28) (original) 25 March 1946; 79 years ago (1946-03-25) (Ukrainian SSR) 24 August 1991; 33 years ago (1991-08-24) (current form)
Deputy	First Deputy Prime Minister
Salary	₴20,000 monthly
Website	KMU.gov.ua

The prime minister of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Прем'єр-міністр України) is the head of government in Ukraine. This person leads the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. The Cabinet is the main part of Ukraine's executive branch.

After Ukraine became independent in 1991, this role replaced an older Soviet position. That old role was called the chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR. It was created on March 25, 1946.

Yulia Tymoshenko was the first woman to become prime minister of Ukraine. Arseniy Yatsenyuk was the first prime minister from Western Ukraine. Two prime ministers were born in the Russian SFSR.

The current prime minister is Denys Shmyhal. He started his job on March 4, 2020. This happened after the previous prime minister, Oleksiy Honcharuk, resigned.

How the Prime Minister is Chosen

The president chooses the prime minister. But the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) must agree. The parliament agrees if more than half of its members vote for the person.

The highest number of votes for a prime minister was for Yulia Tymoshenko. She received 373 votes on February 4, 2005. Other prime ministers who got many votes include Arseniy Yatsenyuk (371 and 341 votes). Vitold Fokin (332 votes) and Leonid Kuchma (316 votes) also received strong support.

Before the vote, members of parliament talk with the candidate. They ask questions and learn about the person's plans. It's not always easy to get approved. Sometimes, candidates are approved by only a few votes. Some candidates have even been turned down. For example, in 1999, Valeriy Pustovoitenko was not re-approved by a small number of votes.

The president usually has to pick someone suggested by the groups in parliament. This rule helps make sure the prime minister has support from the parliament. The only time the president might not pick that person is if there's a problem with how they were suggested. Or if the person doesn't meet the rules set by the Constitution.

A prime minister cannot also be a member of parliament.

What the Prime Minister Does

U.S. president Barack Obama talking with Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk in 2014.

The prime minister leads the Cabinet of Ministers. This is Ukraine's main executive body. The prime minister signs the official decisions made by the Cabinet.

The prime minister suggests people for most government jobs to the parliament. However, the president suggests the minister of foreign affairs and the minister of defence. The prime minister can also suggest leaders for regional areas to the president.

The prime minister also signs decrees and laws that the president passes. This means they are responsible for making sure these laws are carried out. The prime minister and the relevant minister are in charge of putting the Cabinet's laws into action.

The prime minister's main office is in the Cabinet of Ministries building in central Kyiv. In 2013, the prime minister's monthly salary was about ₴33,980. This was much higher than the average salary in Ukraine at that time.

Sometimes, people write to the prime minister for help with their personal problems. In 2012, Prime Minister Azarov received many messages on his Facebook page every day.

Acting and Deputy Prime Ministers

Oleksandr Turchynov was an Acting Prime Minister in 2010.

The first deputy prime minister takes charge if the prime minister is not available. This can happen if the prime minister resigns or is removed from office. Some notable first deputies who served as acting prime minister for a long time include Yukhym Zvyahilsky and Mykola Azarov.

There are also other deputy prime ministers. They help the prime minister and might be in charge of certain government departments. These deputies often focus on big areas like farming, economic matters, or regional issues. Sometimes, they also hold a regular minister's job.

How a Prime Minister Leaves Office

A prime minister can choose to resign. They send their resignation to the parliament. The parliament must then discuss it within 10 days. If the parliament is not meeting, they discuss it during their next session. When a prime minister resigns, the entire Cabinet of Ministers also leaves their jobs.

Since 1996, only two prime ministers, Pavlo Lazarenko and Mykola Azarov, have resigned this way. Prime ministers do not have a set time limit for how long they can serve. They stay in office until the parliament's term ends, or until they resign or are dismissed.

Before 2004, the president could usually dismiss the prime minister alone. After 2004, only the parliament can dismiss the prime minister. The parliament needs to vote that they no longer trust the Cabinet. This vote then leads to the prime minister's resignation. However, the parliament cannot hold such a vote within one year of the Cabinet starting its work.

List of Prime Ministers

Since Ukraine became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991, there have been 18 prime ministers.

Denys Shmyhal is the current prime minister of Ukraine. He has been in office since March 4, 2020.

Shmyhal is the longest-serving prime minister. Mykola Azarov and Yulia Tymoshenko also served for two terms each.

Tymoshenko was the first and only female prime minister of Ukraine.

Timeline of Prime Ministers

Parliamentary Approval of Prime Ministers

See also

In Spanish: Primer ministro de Ucrania para niños