POLITICAL TRANSFORMATIONS IN UKRAINE (1991-2019): RUNNING IN A CIRCLE ON THE WAY TO DEMOCRACY

In: Visnyk Nacional'noho jurydyčnoho universytetu "Jurydyčna akademija Ukraïny imeni Jaroslava Mudroho". Serija filosofija, filosofija prava, politologija, sociologija, Band 1, Heft 56

Abstract

The article at tempts to comprehend the transformations of the political regime in Ukraine in the period 1991-2019. The features of the political development of the country since the declaration of independence, the specifics and logic of the functioning of the political regime in Ukraine during the presidency of L. Kravchuk, L. Kuchma, V. Yushchenko, V. Yanukovych and P. Poroshenko are determined. The trajectory of political development since the declaration of independence is analyzed through the prism of transitological studies. Base don't his, it was determined hat in this process Ukraine fell into an "institutional rut", when the change of presidents and government teams did not lead to a consistent movement towards democracy, but rather had a pendulum effect, thereby ensuring the country's stable stay in the "gray zone" between democracy and authoritarianism. The chain of political and regime transformations in Ukraine began with the regime of the first President L. Kravchuk, which can be characterized as unconsolidated competitive authoritarianism. It functioned in a situation of constant struggle between the centers of power for the future institutional structure of the state. Since the adoption of the Constitution in 1996, it began to evolve towards consolidation, but for a number of reasons, the political regime in Ukraine in 1996-2004 reached the level of semi-consolidated competitive authoritarianism. The period of V. Yushchenko's presidency was marked by the transformation of the country's political regime into an unstable electoral democracy, which, after President V. Yanukovych came to power, again regressed to the level of competitive authoritarianism: in 2010-2012 – semi-consolidated, in 2012-2013 ‑ consolidated. The Revolution of Dignity marked another breakthrough in democratization and the transition to a cartel electoral democracy. However, since mid-2016, the Poroshenko regime began to evolve into unconsolidated competitive authoritarianism.