Constitution of the Crimea

1992-1998

Power to initiate legislation for the Supreme Council of the Crimea was provided in the Constitution of the autonomous republic accepted on May 6, 1992. Among other things this document defined the Crimea as the independent state which "performs in the territory all powers except for those which it voluntarily delegates to Ukraine".

In March, 1995 the president Leonid Kuchma cancelled operation of the Constitution of the Crimea.

In 1998 the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved the new fundamental law of the ARC, having granted autonomy much more modest powers (in the accepted document, in particular, it was emphasized that the Crimea is the integral component of Ukraine).

2012: Creation of the working group for privilege elevation of the ARC

In July, 2012 it became known that the authorities of the Crimea intend to equal in the rights the Constitution of the autonomous republic with the fundamental law of Ukraine and also it is essential to expand political and economic powers of the ARC. According to Kommersant Ukraine, the relevant initiatives are prepared by the working group created by the chairman of Council of ministers of the Crimea Anatoly Mogilev.

Representatives of Council of Ministers, Supreme Council of autonomy and scientists entered it. According to the edition, within two months they are going to submit the offers for consideration of the Constitutional assembly at the president Victor Yanukovych.

According to the deputy of the Supreme Council of the Crimea Efim Fiks, the authorities of the ARC intend to achieve that regulations of all legal acts which are adopted in the country, were approved with the Constitution of the Crimea (the deputy separately emphasized that this regulation will work only "regarding autonomy powers").

To the constitutional assembly, according to him, will also suggest to consider a question of investment of the Supreme Council of the ARC with power to initiate legislation. "It is important that the Supreme Council of the Crimea could register in the Verkhovna Rada the bill on its own behalf, but not on all range of questions but only in that part which concerns implementation of powers of autonomy", - the deputy explained.

The experts polled by the edition were separated in opinions on an initiative of the Crimean authorities. According to the Chairman of Soyuz fraction in parliament of the Crimea Lev Mirimsky, autonomy should define independently the priorities, create and approve the budget. At the same time, representatives of opposition claim that the leadership of the ARC "actually intends to bring the Crimea out of structure of Ukraine".

The representative of the "Our Ukraine-national Self-defense" block, the deputy head of parliamentary committee on questions of the state construction and local government Yury Klyuchkovsky emphasized that implementation of this initiative concerns change of the I section of the Constitution of Ukraine and requires holding an All-Ukrainian referendum. "Its perspectives will depend on structure of the following convocation of the Verkhovna Rada and Victor Yanukovych's position", - he added.