Constitutional and legal responsibility of the President of Ukraine: problems of conceptualization and institutionalization

Abstract

The article deals with general theoretical and constitutional-legal issues of the formation and implementation of the constitutional-legal responsibility of the President of Ukraine. The relationship between the institution of constitutional and legal responsibility of the President of Ukraine and the problems of implementation of the Constitution and constitutional legislation, the formation of constitutionalism and the implementation of constitutional reform in Ukraine is investigated. The article analyzes modern legislative initiatives in the field of regulation of the institution of impeachment of the President of Ukraine. It is concluded that the correct understanding of the essential and functional-teleological characteristics of the constitutional and legal responsibility of the President of Ukraine depends on its functionality and efficiency. In general, positively assessing the adoption of a special Law of Ukraine "On the special procedure for removal of the President of Ukraine from office (impeachment)", we can conclude that it legalized for the first time at the legislative level the institution of constitutional and legal responsibility (by defining the concept of constitutional responsibility) and some legal features, principles, functions, features of the subject-object composition, revealing its essence and content as a type of legal responsibility, purpose in society and the state, as well as its place in the system of protection of the Constitution and constitutional order. On the other hand, attention should be paid to the overly complicated impeachment procedure, which in fact makes it impossible to implement the appropriate form of constitutional liability in practice. The procedural component of this Law, as well as many other legislative acts, which enshrine the relationship of constitutional and legal responsibility, is a significant shortcoming of native constitutional law. After all, the functionality and effectiveness of constitutional and legal responsibility in general, and such a subject of constitutional law as the President, depends not only on a proper understanding of its essential and substantive characteristics, but also primarily the quality of procedural and procedural support for its application.