Ukase

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ukase (Russian: указ, ukaz) in Imperial Russia was a proclamation of the tsar, government, or a religious leader (patriarch) that had the force of law. An example is the "Ems ukase" forbidding the public use of Ukrainian. Adequate translations are "edict" or "decree" of Roman law.

After the Russian Revolution, a government proclamation of wide meaning was called a "decree" (Russian: декрет, dekret); more specific proclamations were called ukaz. Both terms are usually translated as 'decree'.

According to the Russian Federation's 1993 constitution, an ukaz is a Presidential decree. Such ukazes have the power of laws, but may not alter the regulations of existing laws, and may be superseded by laws passed by the Federal Assembly.