Coordinates: 50°26′50.3″N 30°32′12.6″E / 50.447306°N 30.536833°E / 50.447306; 30.536833

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Верховна Рада України (English: Supreme Council of Ukraine)) is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman (speaker). It meets in the Verkhovna Rada building in Ukraine's capital Kiev.

The Verkhovna Rada was first established in 1938 as the national parliament of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic after the reorganization of Central Executive Committee of Ukrainian SSR. Since then, 17 convocations (sessions) of the Verkhovna Rada were held. The Verkhovna Rada of the 14th convocation officially changed the numbering of sessions, proclaiming itself the Verkhovna Rada of the third convocation. The sixth convocation is the latest convocation of the parliament.

In the Verkhovna Rada elections, the seats are divided among all parties that achieved a minimum 3% nationwide vote tally, using the Hamilton method of apportionment. The latest elections to the Verkhovna Rada were held on September 30, 2007. On October 8, 2008, President Viktor Yushchenko dissolved the parliament and called early elections, however these never took place.

Vitali Klitschko (Ukrainian: Віта́лій Володи́мирович Кличко́ [transliteration: Vitali Volodymyrovych Klychko], [ʋiˈtɑʎiɪ̯ klɪtʃˈkɔ]; English: /vɨˈtæli ˈklɪtʃkoʊ/; born 19 July 1971) is a Ukrainian professional boxer and the reigning WBC Heavyweight Champion. He is a leader of the political party UDAR of Vitaliy Klychko and a member of the Ukrainian delegation to the Congress of the Council of Europe. He previously held the WBO and WBC titles. Klitschko is the first professional boxing world champion to hold a Ph.D. degree.

Klitschko is known for his powerful punches and durable chin. With a 86.96% knockout percentage rate, he holds the second best knockout-to-fight ratio of any champion in heavyweight boxing history, after Rocky Marciano's 87.76%. He has never been knocked down in any professional boxing bout and has also never lost a decision. His two losses have come via a shoulder injury during a fight and a deep cut above his eye, which were recorded as TKO losses. His power and his possession of a Ph.D have led to his nickname, Dr. Ironfist.

Volodymyr Mykhailovych Lytvyn (Ukrainian: Володимир Михайлович Литвин) (born April 28, 1956) is a Ukrainian politician and the current Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament. Having previously served in that position from 2002 until 2006, he was re-elected in December 2008 after his party agreed to join the former coalition of Yulia Tymoshenko in an expanded capacity. From 1994 to 1999, Lytvyn was the aide to President Leonid Kuchma and, later, the head of his office.

Lytvyn was born in Sloboda-Romanivska village in the Novohrad-Volynskyi Raion of the Zhytomyr Oblast. Lytvyn graduated from the Kiev University (Faculty of History) in 1978. In 1984 he defended his dissertation "Efforts of the Communist Party of Ukraine in improving the preparation of teachers in social disciplines".

Mr Lytvyn started his career as a political analyst within the Central Committee of the Ukrainian SSR's Communist Party (a division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union).

Lytvyn is a correspondent member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Honored Worker of Sciences and Technology of Ukraine. However, in 2002 he was publicly and reasonably accused of plagiarizing a Western scholar when writing his article to Zerkalo Nedeli newspaper.

Gagik Kolyai Tsarukyan (Armenian: Գագիկ Ծառուկյան),, is an Armenian politician and a businessman. He is seen as the most influential of Armenia's government-connected "oligarchs" and key business partner of Kocharyan owning over a dozen big businesses and living in a very large villa on a hilltop overlooking the northern outskirts of Yerevan.

Tsarukyan is the founder and current leader of Prosperous Armenia Party and also the president of Armenia's National Olympic Committee (was reelected on December 4, 2008).

Tsarukyan graduated from Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture in 1989, had achievements in sports, was engaged in boxing, wrestling and arm wrestling. In 1996 Gagik Tsarukyan was given a title of world champion in arm-wrestling, and in 1998 champion of Europe.

Since 1989 Tsarukyan has been engaged in entrepreneurship. In 1995 he founded and presided "Multi Group" concern which now includes more than 30 enterprises: "Kotayk" beer factory in Abovyan, Yerevan Chemical Pharmaceutical Company, "Mek" Network of Furniture Stores, Yerevan Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory, etc. Tsarukyan is accused of depriving ownership rights of foreign investors in Yerevan Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory. Currently there are several court hearings pending. The largest one is launched from a German investment firm that accuses Tsarukyan of having illegally taken their stake. See Ownership of NOY in question