The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the political and legal transformations of the institution of local self-government in Ukraine during the period 1990-1995, which preceded the adoption of the 1996 Constitution of Ukraine. The research covers the key stages of normative and institutional rethinking of the local governance model in the context of the transition from a Soviet centralized system to a democratic and decentralized form of state organization. The study identifies the principal contradictions of the legal regulation during the specified period, particularly the ambiguity in the distribution of powers between executive authorities and representative structures of local self-government, as well as the impact of the institution of the President’s Representative on the formation of the state governance vertical.Special attention is paid to the role of key legislative acts, including the Law “On Local Councils of People’s Deputies and Local and Regional Self-Government,” the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers on the demarcation of state and communal property, and the 1995 Constitutional Agreement. By analyzing the stages of development of local self-government, it is substantiated that despite institutional instability, this period laid the conceptual foundations for the modern Ukrainian model of local authority. Particular emphasis is placed on the interrelation between internal reform processes and external factors, especially European integration, which necessitated the adaptation of Ukraine’s local self-government legislation to European standards. The article offers an interdisciplinary reflection on the transformation processes through the lens of political science, legal studies, and public administration.
O. V. Lysenko (2025) studied this question.