A four-part referendum was held in
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
on 16 April 2000.
[ Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1976 ] The referendum was called by President
Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Danylovych Kuchma ( uk, Леоні́д Дани́лович Ку́чма; born 9 August 1938) is a Ukrainian politician who was the second president of Ukraine from 19 July 1994 to 23 January 2005. Kuchma's presidency saw numerous corrup ...
,
[Nohlen & Stöver, p1969] and asked voters whether they approved of four amendments to the
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
that would increase the powers of the President and introduce an upper chamber.
[
Although all four were approved by wide margins,][Nohlen & Stöver, pp1985–1986] the changes were never implemented by the Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...
on the basis that the referendum was unconstitutional, as it had not passed the proposals before they went to a referendum.[ The ]Venice Commission
The Venice Commission, officially European Commission for Democracy through Law, is an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law. It was created in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin ...
that reviewed the case confirmed the questionable nature of the referendum that should be reviewed by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine
The Constitutional Court of Ukraine ( ua, Конституційний Суд України) is the sole body of constitutional jurisdiction in Ukraine. The Constitutional Court of Ukraine interprets the Constitution of Ukraine in terms of l ...
.
Conduct
According to historian Serhy Yekelchyk Serhy Yekelchyk (born November 13, 1966 in Kyiv) is a Ukrainian Canadian historian, who has published widely on modern Ukrainian and Russian history and Russian-Ukrainian relations.
Education and career
Yekelchyk received his B.A. from the Unive ...
President Kuchma's administration "employed electoral fraud freely" during the referendum.''The Conflict in Ukraine: What Everyone Needs to Know''
by Serhy Yekelchyk Serhy Yekelchyk (born November 13, 1966 in Kyiv) is a Ukrainian Canadian historian, who has published widely on modern Ukrainian and Russian history and Russian-Ukrainian relations.
Education and career
Yekelchyk received his B.A. from the Unive ...
, Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
, 2015, (page 87)
Results
Question I
Question II
Question III
Question IV
See also
*Ukraine without Kuchma
Ukraine without Kuchma ( uk, Україна без Кучми; ''Ukrayina bez Kuchmy'', Russian: Украина без Кучмы, UBK) was a mass protest campaign that took place in Ukraine in 2000–2001, demanding the resignation of President L ...
- a protest campaign partially provoked by the unpopular referendum
References
External links
2000 Referendum
Central Election Commission of Ukraine
The Central Election Commission of Ukraine ( uk, Центральна виборча комісія України, commonly abbreviated in Ukrainian as ЦВК (''Tse-Ve-Ka''); sometimes referred to as the Central Electoral Commission of Ukrai ...
Constitutional Referendum in Ukraine (2000)
Venice Commission
The Venice Commission, officially European Commission for Democracy through Law, is an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law. It was created in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin ...
{{Ukrainian elections
Referendums in Ukraine
2000 referendums
National referendum, 2000
History of Ukraine since 1991
Constitutional referendums
April 2000 events in Ukraine