[6] The prime minister serves as the head of government,[7] a role currently filled by Denys Shmyhal who took office in March 2020.

At first, the de facto leader of the nation was the president of the Central Rada in the early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the highest governing body was the General Secretariat headed by its chairperson.

On 29 April 1918 the Central Rada was arrested and liquidated during a coup d'état initiated by the local German administration to install Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi who barely spoke a word of the Ukrainian language.

In November of the same year the directorate government of the UPR was established as the opposition movement to the Skoropadsky's regime.

Symon Petliura assumed the representation of the state after Vynnychenko's resignation on 11 February 1919 and until Petlyura's assassination in Paris on 25 May 1926.

Upon the assassination of Petliura, the control over the state affairs were transferred to the former Prime Minister Andriy Livytskyi who in 1948 created the office of the president of Ukraine.

Viktor Yanukovych has claimed to be the legitimate president of Ukraine stating that the events of the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution amounted to a coup and that the impeachment process has not been properly carried out.

[17] If this actually turned out to be true, it would suggest that Yanukovich had given up his claims for presidency as Ukrainian law does not allow for dual citizenship.

With the proclamation of Ukrainian independence from the Soviet Union, the office's official title was changed to "President of Ukraine" on 24 August.

After mass nationwide protests, colloquially known as the "Orange Revolution", a new election was held on 26 December 2004 in which Yushchenko was declared the winner with 52% of the vote and was subsequently sworn into office on 23 January 2005.

The 2010 election took place on 17 January, with a run-off on 7 February due to a 13 May Constitutional Court ruling striking down 25 October date that the parliament called in April 2009.

After Yanukovych was removed from power in early 2014 as a result of the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, the chairperson of parliament Oleksandr Turchynov was appointed to the role of acting president by the Verkhovna Rada in accordance with article 112 of the Constitution of Ukraine.

As a result of this election, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a former actor and comedian with no prior political experience, became the sixth President of Ukraine, scoring a record 73.22% of the popular vote in the run-off against incumbent Poroshenko.

Per the Constitution, regular presidential elections are scheduled to be held on the last Sunday of the last month of the fifth year of the incumbent president's term.

[30][31][32] According to Article 104 of the Constitution, the president of Ukraine assumes office no later than in thirty days after the official announcement of the election results, from the moment of taking the oath to the people at a ceremonial meeting of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament.

The president-elect recites the Ukrainian oath of office with their hand on the Constitution and the Peresopnytsia Gospels:[33][c] The Ukrainian text of the oath according to the article 104 is: Я, (ім'я та прізвище), волею народу обраний Президентом України, заступаючи на цей високий пост, урочисто присягаю на вірність Україні.

[36] The president has the power to submit a proposal for the nomination of the Prime Minister; the Verkhovna Rada, through a constitutional majority, has to support the candidacy.

[40] As per the checks and balances system of Ukrainian government, the president can veto laws adopted by the Verkhovna Rada (except constitutional amendments).

The president wields high power in the legislative branch of government compared to other European heads of state.

The legislative branches' check on the president includes the right to overturn a presidential veto with a two-thirds majority vote of the parliament.

In addition, the president can select the Prosecutor General and Head of the Security Service of Ukraine with the Verkhovna Rada's consent.

In addition to serving as the head of state, the president is the Armed Forces of Ukraine's Supreme Commander-in-Chief[42] (Article 106, paragraph 17) and the Head of the National Security and Defence Council,[43] which advises the president regarding national security policy on domestic and international matters.

The president can submit a declaration of war to the parliament and order the use of the Ukrainian Army and military formations in defence of aggression.

[52] The acting president is not given the authority to address the nation and parliament, dismiss the legislative branch and appoint candidates for parliamentary approval of government and judicial posts.

The acting president cannot call for a referendum, grant military ranks and state orders and exercise their right of pardon.

[55][56][57] All official and state visits made by the president are operated by the Ukraine Air Enterprise presidential airplanes.

The head of the office, the Chief Secretary, acts as the gray cardinal for the president in Ukrainian politics.

[65] The president's spouse is recognized as the First Lady, much in the similar fashion as in other countries, although such a title holds no official and legal responsibility and is often undisclosed.

The tradition of the Ukrainian "First family" was established by Kuchma, who became the in-law to his daughter's husband and politician Viktor Pinchuk.

D.^ Although Leonid Kravchuk's official inauguration ceremony was conducted on 22 August 1992, he carried out most of the presidential responsibilities temporarily ceded to him as Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada until 5 December 1991 when he became president.