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.

The Political System of the UK

The history of the UK as a state started in the 20th century, when Great Britain and Northern Ireland merged into the United Kingdom. Before this period Great Britain existed as a union of England, Scotland and Wales. By the form of government it is a constitutional monarchy. It means that the king or Queen reign but do not rule. The three basic branches of British political system are the legislative, the executive and the judicial powers.

The highest body of the legislative power is the Parliament which is made up of the two chambers of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the House of Commons and the House of Lords, as well as in the Scottish parliament and Welsh and Northern Ireland assemblies.

The executive power in the country is represented by Her Majesty’s Government, on behalf of and by the consent of the Monarch, as well as by the governments of Scotland and Wales, and the Executive of Northern Ireland. The head of the state is the monarch, who reigns but does not rule.

The judicial branch is independent of the executive and the legislature. The highest national court is the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.

The main law of the country is the Constitution, which is not one written document, it consists of the set of laws and principles under which the United Kingdom is governed.

The local bodies of state power are county and borough Councils.

Facts	Ukraine	The USA	The UK
The history of the country as a state started…	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________
By the form of government it…	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________
The three basic branches of the political system are…	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________
The highest body of the legislative body is…	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________
It consists (is made up) of…	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________
It’s also necessary to mention that…	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________
The executive power in the country is represented by…	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________
The head of the State is…	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________
The judicial branch is made up of…	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________
The main law in the country is…	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________
It consists of…	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________
The local bodies of state power are…	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________	______________________ ______________________

Task 8. Read the text. For each of the empty space (1–12) choose the correct answer (A, B, C or D).

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II celebrated 60 years (1) _________ a monarch on February 6. She ascended (2) _________ the throne of the United Kingdom in 1953, when she was a 25-year-old princess. The 85-year-old queen spent the day (3) _________ official duties. She toured the town of King’s Lynn in the east of England. The local mayor opened the celebrations to (4) _________ her diamond jubilee. Queen Elizabeth herself launched a new website that shows how much the world has changed during her six-decade (5) _________. Bigger celebrations are scheduled to (6) _________ place in the U.K. in the summer. There will be a 1,000-ship pageant on the River Thames and a concert at Buckingham Palace. During Her Royal Highness’ reign, there have been 12 British (7) _________ ministers, 12 American presidents and six popes. She has also owned 60 corgis (her favourite dog). The diamond jubilee website says she has answered (8) _________ 3.5 million letters. The queen promised her citizens that she would ‘dedicate myself anew to your service’. She also said: ‘I hope also that this Jubilee year will be a time to give thanks for the great (9) _________ that have been made since 1952 and to (10) _________ forward to the future with (11) _________ head and warm heart.’ The queen is still very popular with British people, despite a (12) _________ in her popularity after the death of Princess Diana in 1997.

1 A is B was C has D as

2 A to B up C by D at

3 A for B on C by D to

4 A dark B lark C mark D hark

5 A rain B feign C reign D pain

6 A give B take C be D do

7 A top B first C main D prime

8 A approximately B aggregated C average D all over

9 A backwards B advances C forwards D sideways

10 A sight B vision C view D look

11 A clarity B clears C clear D cleared

12 A downturn B upturn C upbeat D downbeat

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