The region was historically known as Carpathian Ruthenia and had been given autonomous status within the Second Czechoslovak Republic during the interwar years, from 30 December 1938 to 15 March 1939.
The article №3 of the Act states that: " In the Federal Republic, on the territory of which there are places of compact residence of national groups that make up the majority of the population of the area, when determining the outcome of the referendum, the results of voting in these localities are accounted for separately."
Subcarpathian Rus became part of the Soviet Union from the date of exchange of instruments of ratification of the Treaty from June 29, 1945 "On Transcarpathian Ukraine"4.
On the first of October 1991 * (second column of the fourth paragraph) Regional Council adopts the Declaration "On the proclamation of Transcarpathia an autonomous province" 7.
Based on tradition, identity, an inalienable right to the eternal desire of the multinational population of Transcarpathia to self-determination: On the basis of the right to self-determination under the UN Charter and other international legal instruments, and guided by universal values and norms of equality of nations enshrined in the Declaration of Human Rights, the Helsinki Agreement, the Charter of Paris for a New Europe; Implementing declarations on the state sovereignty of Ukraine and Act of Independence of Ukraine; Acknowledging Transcarpathia an integral part of independent Ukraine; Based on the supremacy of the Constitution and laws of Ukraine; Seeking to ensure the right to national-cultural autonomy of all national groups in conjunction with the regional, national and local self-government; Guaranteeing equal opportunities of participation in management of state and public affairs to representatives of all nationalities, regardless of their participation in political parties, movements, religious beliefs, type and nature of occupation, place and time of residence in the province under the Constitution and laws of Ukraine; Caring for the preservation and development of good-neighborly relations with all regions of Ukraine and other sovereign republics; Rejecting any encroachment on the territorial integrity or attempts to change the borders at the expense or benefit of Transcarpathia, contraposition it to other regions of Ukraine; In an effort to increase and make better use of the unique natural and economic potential for the benefit of the people, to stop the irreversible changes in the spiritual development, the environment and demographic sphere, the regional Council of People's Deputies declares Transcarpathia an autonomous region as part of an independent democratic state - Ukraine.
188, Tuesday, October 1, 1991 «The decision of the seventh session of the 21 convocation on the status of Transcarpathia as part of independent Ukraine» For an objective consideration of the status of Transcarpathia as part of independent Ukraine, the seventh session of the 21 convocation of the Transcarpathian Regional Council decided to set up an appropriate commission.
Noting the critical importance of the issue and the need for its comprehensive study, to set up a commission (the list of the committee members is attached).
The Commission is to publish a justification of the status of Transcarpathia in the press, and after analyzing the results of its pan-regional discussions, to submit their proposals on the matter to the regional executive committee until December 30, 1991.
188 Tuesday, October 8, 1991 The commission included distinguished representatives of various public organizations, institutions, denominations, communities, trade unions and nationalities.
MARINA Vasily Vasilievich, deputy of the Regional Council, the representative of society of social and economic development of the Romanians in Transcarpathia named after Cosbuc.
CHUCHKA Pavel Pavlovich - chairman of the Society of Ukrainian language "Prosvita", named afterTaras Shevchenko.
YAREMA Vasily Yurievich, representative of Mukachevo-Uzhgorod Orthodox diocese.«Novyny Zakarpattya», the newspaper of Regional Council of People's Deputies, №.
To announce that regional referendum on the status of Transcarpathia as part of an independent Ukraine would be held on Sunday, December 1, 1991.
To publish in the media the decision to call a regional referendum on the status of Transcarpathia as part of independent Ukraine.
212, Tuesday, November 5, 1991 Ballot text adopted at the seventh session of the Transcarpathian Regional Council from October 31, 1991: The seventh session of the Transcarpathian Regional Council adopted and approved the text and the size of the Ballot in accordance with the requirements of the legislation Do you wish that Transcarpathia obtained the status of an autonomous territory as a subject within independent Ukraine and not part of any other administrative and territorial formations?
Representatives of the peoples and national groups are elected on an equal basis to public authorities at all levels, occupy any position in government, enterprises, institutions and organizations.
Ukrainian State guarantees all peoples and ethnic groups the right to freely use their native language in all spheres of public life, including education, manufacturing, receiving and disseminating information.
Ukrainian State guarantees all nationalities the right to create their own cultural centers, societies, communities, associations.
(...) So, it seems to me, stressed Leonid Makarovych, if this region is given such a special status, by this act is absorbed a number of problems - economic, national linguistic, cultural, political, and others.
And the status of a self-governing territory gives it the full right to dispose of its wealth, its resources, its economic, cultural and national issues.
Using this competence, the executive committee of the Council of People's Deputies made a formal interpretation and explanation of the issue submitted to the referendum.
The basic rights guaranteed by referendum in case of an affirmative answer of the majority of polled citizens, residents of Transcarpathia, were: - Independently form governments at all levels - Independently solve issues of economical, socio-cultural and spiritual development of the region - Actions of the President and the Parliament (Verkhovna Rada) at a self-governing territory, would have no direct legal effect, only the Constitution and laws of Ukraine would operate there.
On Sunday, December 1, when receiving the ballots, you must make a fateful choice: (...) - Will Transcarpathia have the status of special self-governing administrative territory as a part of independent Ukraine?
This status would guarantee us: - Free trade zone; - The right to independently, in the interest of the region and its population address the issues of economics, socio-cultural and spiritual development; - The right to form our own governments at all levels; - That there would be no direct actions of the President and the Verkhovna Rada at the self-governing territory, only the Constitution and laws of Ukraine would operate there;
Almost all foreign observers, including authoritative international and European representatives, noted the high level of organization and the absence of significant violations.
"Referendum in Ukraine was organized without any violations" Michel Jakmain - Secretary of the Bureau of the National Assembly of France Gert Weisskirchen - Member of the German Bundestag
According to the US Ambassador in Ukraine Jon Gundersen, Office Secretary of the National Assembly of France, Michel Jakmain, Bundestag deputy Gert Weisskirchen, a member of the Canadian Parliament Patrick Boyer and others who were at the meeting, the referendum in Ukraine was held in an orderly manner, without any violations.
To add the words: "In Ukraine, there is a special self-governing administrative territory, Transcarpathia" to the first part of Article 77 of the Constitution.
12/260, Thursday, January 30, 1992 The Law of Ukraine "On the self-governing special administrative territory of Transcarpathia" - adopted the sixth of March 1992 at the second meeting of the IX- session of the Transcarpathian Regional Council of People's Deputies.
[citation needed] In April 2016 then governor of Zakarpattia Oblast Hennadiy Moskal claimed the referendum directly contradicted this (then) law.