Abstract

The article deals with the political opposition as an integral component of a democratic society and legal state. It is emphasized that in the public life of any democratic country, the relationship between political opponents are being built between the authorities and the opposition, that is, the opposition is an objective phenomenon of social life. The functioning of the opposition is an inherent element of the political system of any democratic state and the basis for the development of civil society The main institutional element of oppositional structures are parties that receive the status of the opposition or the ruling in the competition for power through elections. The effectiveness of the activities of the political opposition depends on many factors, including: legislative definition of the status of the opposition; guarantees of its rights; cohesion forces; the presence of an authoritative leader. Focuses on the fact that political events 2013­2014 in Ukraine testify to raise the issue of the opposition as part of the political process and the need of its normative definition within national legislation. Additionally, the events of this period led to transformation of the powers of the institutions of state power, a return to the Constitution of 2004, the formation of illegal military groups, weakening the impact of the centre on the individual fields of struggle of political elites, the opposition in Parliament, which has become a constant factor and actually paralyze the effectiveness of the legislative authority of the state, etc. A pressing need at the present stage there is a strong democratic government, consolidation of all political forces of the coalition and the opposition) to preserve stability and interethnic consent, thwarting the attempts to split the country along ideological and national characteristics. In this context, it is emphasized that today the special urgency is got with a set of problems related to the legislative provision of the activity of political opposition. In Ukraine the problem of the parliamentary opposition is still without legal solutions The conclusion is made, that today the political process in Ukraine requires improvement of the legal base for the functioning of political parties and the need for a normative definition of the political opposition in the framework of public law and political science.