Ukraine Сelebrates its Constitution Day
27 years ago, on June 28, 1996, the fundamental law with the highest legal force, defining the main priorities of the Ukrainian state was adopted in Ukraine. The priorities include ensuring the rule of law, integrity and inviolability of state territories, and Ukraine's European and Euro-Atlantic course. It also set out the basic guideline that is recognized as the highest value in the state - "The human being, his or her life and health, honour and dignity, inviolability and security."
Today, in the context of a full-scale war of aggression waged by Russia, Ukrainians are fighting for each of these words.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyi congratulated Ukrainians on Constitution Day, emphasizing that the words written in the basic law "are no longer history, because they have become truly vital and urgent for Ukrainians: words about the right to life and freedom, honor and dignity, the value of our land."
The first article of the Constitution of Ukraine states that "Ukraine is a sovereign and independent, democratic, social, and legal state", and decades of independence have proved that the Ukrainian people are ready not only to declare but also to act to implement these words in their everyday lives.
Ukraine is one of the few countries in the post-Soviet space that has managed to preserve democratic values and create a strong decentralized pluralistic civil society that has been fighting for its rights throughout the history of the Ukrainian state.
"No Ukrainian will ever again perceive the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution as something given to us from above. Today, they are fighting a hard struggle with self-sacrifice and their lives," Zelenskyi said.
The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, also congratulated the Ukrainian people, saying that Ukrainians "have demonstrated to the whole world exemplary unity and cohesion in the protection of rights and freedoms."
"We are following the path determined by the people of Ukraine. The path that is enshrined in the Constitution. No one and nothing can change the will of an entire nation," the Prime Minister of Ukraine emphasized on Twitter.
The international community also congratulated Ukraine on the Constitution Day. Thus, US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said that the embassy "joins the Ukrainian people in celebrating the Constitution Day"
"We have witnessed how bravely you have fought for freedom since your independence - and I am proud that during these critical moments the United States stood with you," Brink said.
Ukraine gained its independence in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union, but for nearly five years, parliamentarians failed to agree on a constitution. Between 1990 and 1996, 15 draft constitutions were proposed.
On June 27, 1996, the People's Deputies of Ukraine did not end their working day, but continued to work in the evening and whole night through. Only on the morning of June 28, after a day of continuous and heated debate, did the Verkhovna Rada adopt and enact the Constitution of Ukraine voted for by an absolute majority of 315 out of 450 parliamentarians. The historic night when the fundamental Ukrainian law was approved was later called "Constitutional Night."
Also today, on Constitution Day, the Presidents of Poland and Lithuania symbolically arrived in Ukraine on an unannounced visit.