II. Political Systems of Ukraine and English-Speaking Countries

Task 7. Read the texts and fill in the table to speak about the political systems of Ukraine and English-speaking countries.

The Political System of Ukraine

The history of the country as a state started on the 24th of August, 1991 when Ukraine proclaimed its independence. Nowadays Ukraine is a free independent state. By the form of government it combines the elements of presidential and parliamentary republic. The three branches of Ukrainian political system are: legislative, executive and judicial.

The highest body of legislative power is the Parliament — the Verhovna Rada. It consists of one chamber only and includes 450 deputies. People’s deputies are elected at the general elections for a period of 5 years. The chairman of Verchovna Rada is elected by its members.

The executive power is presented by the President and the Cabinet of Ministers. The Cabinet of Ministers is responsible for the realization of the laws adopted by the Verchovna Rada. It consists of the Prime Minister, Vice Prime Minister, and Ministers.

The head of the state is the President, who is elected by citizens of Ukraine for the period of 5 years. But no more than two periods in a row.

The judicial branch is made up of the Constitutional Court, which has exclusive constitutional jurisdiction in Ukraine. It consists of 18 judges which are appointed for 9 years. The Supreme Court of Ukraine is the highest juridical body of general jurisdiction.

The Constitution is the main law in the country. It was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada on June 28, 1996. It consists of 15 chapters dealing with the political, social and economic structure of the Ukrainian State.

The local bodies of state power are regional, district, city, town and village Radas (Counsils). The Autonomous Republic of the Crimea has a Republican Rada and its own Prime-Minister. 

The Political System of the usa

The history of the USA as a state started on June 4 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed and British colonies became the United States of America. By the form of government it is a constitutional republic of 50 states, a federation.

The three basic branches of the USA political system are the legislative, the executive and the judicial powers. The highest body of the legislative power is the Congress which is made up of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are 435 members in the House of Representatives and 100 senators. Each state elects two members of the 100-member Senate.

The executive power in the country is represented by the President and the Vice President. The President is chosen in nation-wide elections every 4 years together with the Vice-President. The head of the state is the US President, who proposes bills to Congress, enforces federal laws, serves as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and with the approval of the Senate, makes treaties. The vice President, elected from the same political party as the President, acts as chairman of the Senate, and in the event of the death of the President assumes the Presidency.

The judicial branch is made up of Federal District Courts, 11 Federal Courts and the Supreme Court. Federal judges are appointed by the President for life. The Supreme Court may rule the law to be unconstitutional.

The main law of the country is the US Constitution, which consists of 8 Articles, 10 Amendments known as the Bill of Rights and 17 more Amendments. The Bill of Rights guarantees individual liberties: freedom of speech, religion and so on. Later amendments abolished slavery, granted the right to vote to women and allowed citizens to vote at age 18.

The local bodies of state power are represented by state governments, town and city councils.