The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Ukrainian: Президія Верховної Ради УРСР, romanized: Prezydiia Verkhovnoi Rady URSR), referred to between 1991 and 1996 as the Presidium of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Президія Верховної Ради України, romanized: Prezydiia Verkhovnoi Rady Ukrainy) was the permanent body of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR then of the Verkhovna Rada, accountable to the Supreme Soviet in its activity, and, within the nominal limits prescribed by the Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR, performed functions of the highest state power in the Ukrainian SSR. It was first established by the constitution in 1937 to replace the Central Executive Committee of Ukraine. Its membership was elected for the first time on December 27, 1938, at the first session of the Supreme Soviet of the Ukrainian SSR. The presidium later became the permanent body of the post-Soviet legislature of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada, but was dissolved upon the adoption of the Constitution of Ukraine on June 28, 1996.
According to the Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR, the presidium was elected by the Supreme Soviet from among the people's deputies, at the first session of each following convocation for the entire term of the Supreme Soviet; however, when a new convocation of the Supreme Soviet was elected, the outgoing presidium retained its powers until a new presidium was elected. The presidium was competent to issue ukazes and resolutions and possessed the right of legislative initiative in the Supreme Soviet, and was, in effect, the Ukrainian SSR's collective head of state. The constitution also required more detailed provisions regarding the legal status, competence, order of formation, and activity of the presidium to be defined by the standing orders of the Supreme Soviet.
After 1991, the powers of the presidium were narrowed. Some of the powers were delegated to the newly created post of the President of Ukraine, while others were transferred to the Verkhovna Rada. With the adoption of the post-Soviet constitution in 1996, the presidium was dissolved, though the term is still collectively applied to the chairman, deputy chairmen and occasionally also to the parliamentary faction leaders of the Verkhovna Rada.
The presidium was initially composed of a chairman, two vice chairmen, a secretary, and fifteen ordinary members. Following the adoption of the 1978 Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR, the number of vice chairmen was increased to three and the number of ordinary members became twenty.
At the adoption of the 1978 Constitution of the Ukrainian SSR, the presidium had the powers to:
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