LEGISLATION ON POLITICAL PARTIES IN UKRAINE: CURRENT STATUS AND PROSPECTS FOR MODERNIZATION

Abstract

The article examines the current state of legislation on political parties in Ukraine, identifies key problems in its application, and substantiates directions for modernization, taking into account constitutional principles, the European integration vector, and the practice of state control in the field of political finance. It shows that the current model of legal regulation, formed by the Law of Ukraine “On Political Parties in Ukraine”, combines classic approaches to party building with new instruments of transparency and accountability (in particular, reporting and state financing, digital registers). At the same time, problems remain with the fragmentation of norms, inconsistency with electoral legislation (including gender quotas), uneven enforcement of the law, and the limited ability of sanction mechanisms to encourage integrity in political finance. Special attention is paid to security restrictions on the activities of political parties under martial law, the legal grounds for the consequences of the judicial ban on pro-Russian political parties, in particular, with regard to the transfer of assets to state ownership. It has been proven that legislation on political parties in Ukraine plays a key role in the formation and functioning of the national party system, and that the level of democratic development of the state largely depends on its quality and effectiveness. Proposals for codifying and updating legislation have been formulated: raising standards of internal party democracy, harmonizing party and electoral rules, improving control and accountability for violations of financial discipline, developing digital transparency mechanisms, and clarifying procedures for banning parties with guarantees of human rights and the principle of proportionality.