Yulia Tymoshenko Electoral Bloc
Encyclopedia
The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc is the name of the bloc of political parties in Ukraine
led by Yulia Tymoshenko
. In Verkhovna Rada
the party's faction is led by Ivan Kyrylenko
. On 16 November 2010 this faction was officially renamed “Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko-Batkivschyna”. In November 2011 the participation of blocs of political parties in parliamentary elections was banned.
the party always has attracted most of its voters from Western Ukrainian (Ukrainian
speaking) provinces (Oblasts
) and from central Ukraine. The party has low support in the east and the south of Ukraine (where the Russian language
is dominant). The party has recruited several politicians from these Russian speaking provinces
like Crimea
(Lyudmyla Denisova) and Luhansk Oblast
(Natalia Korolevska
). The party is often associated with the 2004 Orange Revolution
(the party's leader Yulia Tymoshenko was one of the leaders of the Orange Revolution) and thus named an Orange Party in media publications. The party also has some prominent members who used to be associated with the opponents of the Orange Revolutions (the Blue camp) like the current faction leader
of the Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) faction in the Ukrainian Parliament Ivan Kyrylenko
. Other noticeable (former) BYuT deputies are Soviet dissident Levko Lukyanenko
and former UNA-UNSO
leader Andriy Shkil
.
BYuT is intending to include more representatives from the education sector
into voting for its lists. According to the party's leader Tymoshenko: "Certain branches and sectors have powerful lobbies. And there are only three to four lobbyists who represent the spheres of education and health care in the Verkhovna Rada
(Ukraine's parliament). Therefore some sectors lack financing, while others have excessive funding".
According to party-leader Tymoshenko representatives of business have no dominant influence on decision making in her political force. "Business is represented in the parliament, but it doesn't shape politics this is what distinguishes my political force from the Party of Regions
for instance." Several billionaires have been member of the BYuT faction in the Verkhovna Rada.
Leonid Kuchma
in January 2001 as Deputy Prime Minister for fuel and energy sector in the cabinet
of Viktor Yushchenko
and during the Ukraine without Kuchma
-protests Yulia Tymoshenko
initiated the loose organization the National Salvation Committee
on 9 February 2001. This organisation latter merged into the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc in November 2001.
At the parliamentary elections
on 30 March 2002 the alliance comprised the following liberal and nationalist member parties:
The bloc won 7.2% of the popular vote and 21 out of 450 seats. This result was better than expected, because BYuT had limited access to the media and limited support from local authorities.
The alliance supported Viktor Yushchenko
during the Ukrainian presidential election of 2004, and played an active role in the widespread acts of civil non-violent protest that became known as the Ukrainian Orange Revolution
.
In January 2005 Tymoshenko became Prime Minister of Ukraine
under Yushchenko's presidency.
v.png)
The parliamentary elections
on 26 March 2006 saw BYuT move into second place with 22,27% of the vote behind Party of Regions
which had 33% and ahead of Our Ukraine which received less than 14% support. They won 129 seats out of 450.
It was widely expected that a coalition between supporters of the orange movement
would form Ukraine's next government, but after 3 months of negotiations and a failure to reach an agreement the proposed coalition collapsed following the decision of the Socialist Party of Ukraine
to support the formation of the "anti-crisis coalition" with Party of Regions
and the Communist Party of Ukraine
.
During the 2007 parliamentary elections
, the bloc consisted of:
The Ukrainian Republican Party "Sobor" was part of the Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc this time (the Ukrainian Republican Party
had merged with this party in April 2002).
In the parliamentary elections on 30 September 2007, the bloc won 156 out of 450 seats, securing an additional 1.5 million votes (8.24%) in comparison with the 2006 election. In 2007 Yulia Tymoshenko received a swing of 8.24% in comparison their 2006 vote. Most of the swing came as a result of consolidation of the vote in regions in which BYuT already was the leading party. Statistics published by Ukraine's Central Electoral Commission
indicate that most of the swing came from minor parties and a swing away from the Socialist Party
and to a lesser extent Our Ukraine.
On 15 October 2007, Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc agreed to form a majority coalition in the new parliament of the 6th convocation
. On 29 November, a coalition was signed between the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc (representing 45% of the national vote). On 18 December 2007 Yulia Tymoshenko, with a margin of two votes, was elected Prime Minister.
During the 2008 Ukrainian political crisis
the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT) and Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc (OU-PSD) coalition was haltered and among the negations with a.o. OU-PSD there were negotiations between BYuT and Party of Regions
to form a coalition but after Volodymyr Lytvyn
was elected Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada
(parliament of Ukraine
) 9 December 2008 he announced the creation of a coalition between his Lytvyn Bloc, BYuT and OU-PSD. After negotiations the three party's officially signed the coalition agreement on 16 December. It was unsure if this coalition would stop the snap election although Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn predicts the Verkhovna Rada will work until the (then scheduled) next elections in 2012. President Viktor Yushchenko
's decree to dissolve the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) made during the 2008 Ukrainian political crisis was never put into action.
On 3 July 2009 the Verkhovna Rada terminated the mandate of BYuT deputy Viktor Lozinskyi. At the time there was a criminal proceedings against Lozinskyi instituted on suspicion of deliberately inflicting grave bodily harm causing death; the Prosecutor-General's Office had applied to the Verkhovna Rada for permission to arrest Viktor Lozinskyi. 416 out of 444 deputies registered in Parliament, including 133 deputies of the Tymoshenko Bloc, voted for removal of the Lozinskyi's parliamentary immunity.
, then incumbent Prime Minister
, as their candidate for the 2010 Presidential election
. She was not elected.
After the fall of the second Tymoshenko Government
on 3 March 2010 (seven BYuT lawmakers had supported the motion of no confidence) BYuT moved into opposition. On 11 March 2010 BYuT appealed to the Central Election Commission of Ukraine
to terminate the parliamentary mandates of six parliamentarians who had joined a the new parliamentary coalition. Ten representative of BYuT joined the coalition supporting the Azarov Government
as an independent MP in April 2010.
On 16 March a shadow government including BYuT was established.
Late May 2010 BYuT deputies had to submit new applications for faction membership. On 26 June 2010 The Political Council Presidium of All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" expelled Oleksandr Feldman, a Verkhovna Rada deputy of the Yulia Tymoshenko bloc faction, from the party because he had joined the coalition supporting the Azarov Government
the previous month. 28 members of the faction where officially expelled from it, because they had joined the majority coalition, on 21 September 2010.
On 16 November 2010 the ByuT faction was officially renamed “Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko-Batkivschyna”.
By late 2010 the BYuT faction consisted of 113 lawmakers of the original 156 elected in September 2007. Most BYuT leavers became members of the "Stability and Reforms" coalition supporting the Azarov Government (17 of these became founding members of Reforms for the Future
in February 2011). Four joined the Party of Regions
faction in October 2010 (followed by five others in March 2011). Early February 2011 seven more deputies where expelled from the faction. On 2 February 2011 party-leader Tymoshenko claimed members of the “Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko-Batkivschyna”-faction had been offered money and places in the election list of the Party of Regions
and have been blackmailed into voting for laws introduced by the Azarov Government. Ukrainian President
Yanukovych
and the Party of Regions have been accused of trying to create a "controlled democracy" in Ukraine and as a means to this are trying to "destroy" main opposition party BYuT, but both have denied this charges.
In November 2011 the participation of blocs of political parties in parliamentary elections was banned.
.
or Parliamentary
) and the adoption a new Constitution. On 15 February 2010 BYuT faction leader Ivan Kyrylenko
stated "We think that that there is a post that is unnecessary in the state" (without mentioning which post he meant).
by restoring the status and raising the standards of the education system. Measures include incentives for investment in professional and higher education, and, most importantly, research and development.
(running through Azerbaijan
and Georgia
) and the Black Sea
. Encourage domestic production both onshore and offshore in the Black and Azov Seas.
has been the main ally of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT) during the Orange Revolution
and in its aftermath. Relations with archrival Party of Regions
(PoR) has always been sour but at times seemed to improve. In 2009 a coalition government between the two parties seemed to become a reality. But early June talks to build a broad coalition to address the economic crisis
collapsed; Yulia Tymoshenko accused PoR leader Viktor Yanukovych
of betrayal. Then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko at the time showed little enthusiasm for a BYuT-PoR coalition.
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
led by Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko , née Grigyan , born 27 November 1960, is a Ukrainian politician. She was the Prime Minister of Ukraine from 24 January to 8 September 2005, and again from 18 December 2007 to 4 March 2010. She placed third in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful...
. In Verkhovna Rada
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
the party's faction is led by Ivan Kyrylenko
Ivan Kyrylenko
Ivan Hryhorovych Kyrylenko , Ukrainian SSR) is a Ukrainian politician and since 2007 faction leader of Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc in the Ukrainian Parliament.-Biography:...
. On 16 November 2010 this faction was officially renamed “Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko-Batkivschyna”. In November 2011 the participation of blocs of political parties in parliamentary elections was banned.
Overview
Founded for the 2002 parliamentary electionsUkrainian parliamentary election, 2002
Ukrainian parliamentary election of 2002 took place on March 31. Half of the deputies to Verkhovna Rada were elected on proportional basis, while the other half were elected by popular vote in single-mandate constituencies...
the party always has attracted most of its voters from Western Ukrainian (Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
speaking) provinces (Oblasts
Administrative divisions of Ukraine
Ukraine is subdivided into 24 oblasts , one autonomous republic, and two "cities with special status".- Overview :...
) and from central Ukraine. The party has low support in the east and the south of Ukraine (where the Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
is dominant). The party has recruited several politicians from these Russian speaking provinces
Russian language in Ukraine
Russian is a minority language in Ukraine It is the most common first language in Donbass and Crimea regions, the predominant language in large cities in the East and South of the country...
like Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
(Lyudmyla Denisova) and Luhansk Oblast
Luhansk Oblast
Luhansk Oblast ) is the easternmost oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Luhansk. The oblast was established in 1938 and bore the name Voroshilovgrad Oblast in honor of Kliment Voroshilov....
(Natalia Korolevska
Natalia Korolevska
Natalia Yuriivna Korolevska is a Ukrainian politician and member of the Verkhovna Rada .- Biography :Korolevska was born in the former USSR in 1975, her father was a miner, her mother a teacher...
). The party is often associated with the 2004 Orange Revolution
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
(the party's leader Yulia Tymoshenko was one of the leaders of the Orange Revolution) and thus named an Orange Party in media publications. The party also has some prominent members who used to be associated with the opponents of the Orange Revolutions (the Blue camp) like the current faction leader
Parliamentary group leader
The leader or chairman of a parliamentary group holds an influential political post in a parliamentary system with strong party discipline...
of the Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) faction in the Ukrainian Parliament Ivan Kyrylenko
Ivan Kyrylenko
Ivan Hryhorovych Kyrylenko , Ukrainian SSR) is a Ukrainian politician and since 2007 faction leader of Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc in the Ukrainian Parliament.-Biography:...
. Other noticeable (former) BYuT deputies are Soviet dissident Levko Lukyanenko
Levko Lukyanenko
Levko Lukyanenko ; is a Ukrainian politician, and Soviet dissident and Hero of Ukraine.-Biography:Lukyanenko was born on 24 August 1928 in the Khrypivka village of Chernihiv Oblast, in the USSR...
and former UNA-UNSO
UNA-UNSO
The UNA-UNSO , is the most prominent nationalist political organization in Ukraine.-History:...
leader Andriy Shkil
Andriy Shkil
-Professional career:Shkil graduated in 1988 from the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University.In 1989 Shkil became member of the editorial board of the newspaper Ukrayina Moloda and he was elected deputy chief of the Independent Ukrainian Youth Union. From then...
.
BYuT is intending to include more representatives from the education sector
Education in Ukraine
There is nearly 100% literacy in Ukraine.11 years of schooling are mandatory. As a rule, schooling begins at the age of 6..According to Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Volodymyr Lytvyn the amount of budget financing for the sphere of education reached about 6% of Ukraine's GDP in November...
into voting for its lists. According to the party's leader Tymoshenko: "Certain branches and sectors have powerful lobbies. And there are only three to four lobbyists who represent the spheres of education and health care in the Verkhovna Rada
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
(Ukraine's parliament). Therefore some sectors lack financing, while others have excessive funding".
According to party-leader Tymoshenko representatives of business have no dominant influence on decision making in her political force. "Business is represented in the parliament, but it doesn't shape politics this is what distinguishes my political force from the Party of Regions
Party of Regions
The Party of Regions is an Ukrainian political party created on October 26, 1997 just prior to the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections under the name of Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others...
for instance." Several billionaires have been member of the BYuT faction in the Verkhovna Rada.
Creation
After her dismissal by PresidentPresident of Ukraine
Prior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the...
Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Danylovych Kuchma was the second President of independent Ukraine from 19 July 1994, to 23 January 2005. Kuchma took office after winning the 1994 presidential election against his rival, incumbent Leonid Kravchuk...
in January 2001 as Deputy Prime Minister for fuel and energy sector in the cabinet
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
The Cabinet of Ukraine is the highest body of state executive power in Ukraine also referred to as the Government of Ukraine...
of Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
and during the Ukraine without Kuchma
Ukraine without Kuchma
Ukraine without Kuchma! or UbK was a mass protest campaign preceding the Orange Revolution that took place in Ukraine in 2000–2001. Unlike the Orange Revolution the UbK was effectively extinguished by the government enforcement units followed by numerous arrests of the opposition and the...
-protests Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko , née Grigyan , born 27 November 1960, is a Ukrainian politician. She was the Prime Minister of Ukraine from 24 January to 8 September 2005, and again from 18 December 2007 to 4 March 2010. She placed third in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful...
initiated the loose organization the National Salvation Committee
National Salvation Committee
The National Salvation Committee was a loose organization led by Yulia Tymoshenko from February 9, 2001.; after her dismissal as Deputy Prime Minister for fuel and energy sector in the cabinet of Viktor Yushchenko in January 2001 and during the Ukraine without Kuchma-protests. In November 2001 it...
on 9 February 2001. This organisation latter merged into the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc in November 2001.
At the parliamentary elections
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2002
Ukrainian parliamentary election of 2002 took place on March 31. Half of the deputies to Verkhovna Rada were elected on proportional basis, while the other half were elected by popular vote in single-mandate constituencies...
on 30 March 2002 the alliance comprised the following liberal and nationalist member parties:
- Fatherland Party (Partiya Bat'kivshchyna ), also rendered as All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" (Vseukrajins’ke Ob’ednannja Bat’kivščyna)
- Ukrainian Republican Party "Sobor" (Ukrajins’ka Respublikanska Partija Sobor)
- Ukrainian Social Democratic PartyUkrainian Social Democratic Party-History:The party was founded in 1998 when the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine and Party of Human Rights were united. The first leader of the party was Vasyl Onopenko who in the Presidential elections in 1999 got 0,47% of the votes. Since November 2006 Yevhen Korniychuk is the chairman of the...
(Ukrajins’ka Social-Demokratyčna Partija) - Ukrainian Republican PartyUkrainian Republican PartyThe Ukrainian Republican Party is the first registered political party in Ukraine created on November 5, 1990 by the Ministry of Justice of UkrSSR. URP was founded earlier that year in place of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group in April 1990.-History:...
(Ukrajinska Respublikanska Partija)
The bloc won 7.2% of the popular vote and 21 out of 450 seats. This result was better than expected, because BYuT had limited access to the media and limited support from local authorities.
The alliance supported Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
during the Ukrainian presidential election of 2004, and played an active role in the widespread acts of civil non-violent protest that became known as the Ukrainian Orange Revolution
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
.
In January 2005 Tymoshenko became Prime Minister of Ukraine
Prime Minister of Ukraine
The Prime Minister of Ukraine is Ukraine's head of government presiding over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the highest body of the executive branch of the Ukrainian government....
under Yushchenko's presidency.
Electoral breakthrough
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2006
The Ukrainian parliamentary election took place on March 26, 2006. Election campaigning officially began on July 7, 2005. Between November 26 and December 31, 2005 party lists of candidates were formed....
on 26 March 2006 saw BYuT move into second place with 22,27% of the vote behind Party of Regions
Party of Regions
The Party of Regions is an Ukrainian political party created on October 26, 1997 just prior to the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections under the name of Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others...
which had 33% and ahead of Our Ukraine which received less than 14% support. They won 129 seats out of 450.
It was widely expected that a coalition between supporters of the orange movement
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
would form Ukraine's next government, but after 3 months of negotiations and a failure to reach an agreement the proposed coalition collapsed following the decision of the Socialist Party of Ukraine
Socialist Party of Ukraine
The Socialist Party of Ukraine is a Socialist political party in Ukraine and part of the Verkhovna Rada from 1994 to 2007.It is one of the oldest parties and was created by the former members of the Communist Party of Ukraine in late 1991 when the Communist Party was banned...
to support the formation of the "anti-crisis coalition" with Party of Regions
Party of Regions
The Party of Regions is an Ukrainian political party created on October 26, 1997 just prior to the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections under the name of Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others...
and the Communist Party of Ukraine
Communist Party of Ukraine
The Communist Party of Ukraine is a political party in Ukraine, currently led by Petro Symonenko.The party fights the Ukrainian national self-determination by identifying any Ukrainian national parties as the National-Fascist ones The Communist Party of Ukraine is a political party in Ukraine,...
.
During the 2007 parliamentary elections
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2007
Early parliamentary elections in Ukraine took place on 30 September 2007. The date of the election was determined following agreement between the President Viktor Yushchenko, the Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Moroz on 27 May 2007, in an attempt...
, the bloc consisted of:
- All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland"
- Ukrainian Social Democratic PartyUkrainian Social Democratic Party-History:The party was founded in 1998 when the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine and Party of Human Rights were united. The first leader of the party was Vasyl Onopenko who in the Presidential elections in 1999 got 0,47% of the votes. Since November 2006 Yevhen Korniychuk is the chairman of the...
- Reforms and Order PartyReforms and Order Party-History:The party was organized in October 1997 as a right-wing party, led by ex-vice Prime Minister Viktor Pynzenyk. And it was registered as the fiftieth political party in the history of Ukrainian modern politics....
The Ukrainian Republican Party "Sobor" was part of the Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc this time (the Ukrainian Republican Party
Ukrainian Republican Party
The Ukrainian Republican Party is the first registered political party in Ukraine created on November 5, 1990 by the Ministry of Justice of UkrSSR. URP was founded earlier that year in place of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group in April 1990.-History:...
had merged with this party in April 2002).
In the parliamentary elections on 30 September 2007, the bloc won 156 out of 450 seats, securing an additional 1.5 million votes (8.24%) in comparison with the 2006 election. In 2007 Yulia Tymoshenko received a swing of 8.24% in comparison their 2006 vote. Most of the swing came as a result of consolidation of the vote in regions in which BYuT already was the leading party. Statistics published by Ukraine's Central Electoral Commission
Central Election Commission of Ukraine
The Central Election Commission of Ukraine ; sometimes referred to as the Central Electoral Commission of Ukraine) is a permanent and independent collegiate body of the Ukrainian government.- Mission and Authority :...
indicate that most of the swing came from minor parties and a swing away from the Socialist Party
Socialist Party of Ukraine
The Socialist Party of Ukraine is a Socialist political party in Ukraine and part of the Verkhovna Rada from 1994 to 2007.It is one of the oldest parties and was created by the former members of the Communist Party of Ukraine in late 1991 when the Communist Party was banned...
and to a lesser extent Our Ukraine.
On 15 October 2007, Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc agreed to form a majority coalition in the new parliament of the 6th convocation
Convocation
A Convocation is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose.- University use :....
. On 29 November, a coalition was signed between the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc and Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc (representing 45% of the national vote). On 18 December 2007 Yulia Tymoshenko, with a margin of two votes, was elected Prime Minister.
During the 2008 Ukrainian political crisis
2008 Ukrainian political crisis
The 2008 Ukrainian political crisis started after President Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc withdrew from the governing coalition following a vote on a bill to limit the President's powers in which the Prime Minister's Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko voted with the opposition...
the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT) and Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc (OU-PSD) coalition was haltered and among the negations with a.o. OU-PSD there were negotiations between BYuT and Party of Regions
Party of Regions
The Party of Regions is an Ukrainian political party created on October 26, 1997 just prior to the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections under the name of Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others...
to form a coalition but after Volodymyr Lytvyn
Volodymyr Lytvyn
Volodymyr Mykhailovych Lytvyn 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...
was elected Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's unicameral parliament. The speaker presides over the parliament and its procedures. They are elected by secret ballot from the parliament's deputy ranks...
(parliament of Ukraine
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
) 9 December 2008 he announced the creation of a coalition between his Lytvyn Bloc, BYuT and OU-PSD. After negotiations the three party's officially signed the coalition agreement on 16 December. It was unsure if this coalition would stop the snap election although Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn predicts the Verkhovna Rada will work until the (then scheduled) next elections in 2012. President Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
's decree to dissolve the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) made during the 2008 Ukrainian political crisis was never put into action.
On 3 July 2009 the Verkhovna Rada terminated the mandate of BYuT deputy Viktor Lozinskyi. At the time there was a criminal proceedings against Lozinskyi instituted on suspicion of deliberately inflicting grave bodily harm causing death; the Prosecutor-General's Office had applied to the Verkhovna Rada for permission to arrest Viktor Lozinskyi. 416 out of 444 deputies registered in Parliament, including 133 deputies of the Tymoshenko Bloc, voted for removal of the Lozinskyi's parliamentary immunity.
Return to opposition
In October 2009 Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko endorsed Yulia TymoshenkoYulia Tymoshenko
Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko , née Grigyan , born 27 November 1960, is a Ukrainian politician. She was the Prime Minister of Ukraine from 24 January to 8 September 2005, and again from 18 December 2007 to 4 March 2010. She placed third in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful...
, then incumbent Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Ukraine
The Prime Minister of Ukraine is Ukraine's head of government presiding over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the highest body of the executive branch of the Ukrainian government....
, as their candidate for the 2010 Presidential election
Ukrainian presidential election, 2010
The Ukrainian presidential election of 2010 is Ukraine's fifth presidential election since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The first round was held on January 17, 2010...
. She was not elected.
After the fall of the second Tymoshenko Government
Second Tymoshenko Government
The second Tymoshenko Government was appointed on December 18, 2007 as a coalition between Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko and Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense Bloc , OU-PSD is the party of then-President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko, following the 2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election...
on 3 March 2010 (seven BYuT lawmakers had supported the motion of no confidence) BYuT moved into opposition. On 11 March 2010 BYuT appealed to the Central Election Commission of Ukraine
Central Election Commission of Ukraine
The Central Election Commission of Ukraine ; sometimes referred to as the Central Electoral Commission of Ukraine) is a permanent and independent collegiate body of the Ukrainian government.- Mission and Authority :...
to terminate the parliamentary mandates of six parliamentarians who had joined a the new parliamentary coalition. Ten representative of BYuT joined the coalition supporting the Azarov Government
Azarov Government
The first Azarov Government was appointed on March 11, 2010 as part of the "Stability and Reform" coalition between the Party of Regions, Lytvyn Bloc and the Communist Party of Ukraine in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament...
as an independent MP in April 2010.
On 16 March a shadow government including BYuT was established.
Late May 2010 BYuT deputies had to submit new applications for faction membership. On 26 June 2010 The Political Council Presidium of All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" expelled Oleksandr Feldman, a Verkhovna Rada deputy of the Yulia Tymoshenko bloc faction, from the party because he had joined the coalition supporting the Azarov Government
Azarov Government
The first Azarov Government was appointed on March 11, 2010 as part of the "Stability and Reform" coalition between the Party of Regions, Lytvyn Bloc and the Communist Party of Ukraine in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament...
the previous month. 28 members of the faction where officially expelled from it, because they had joined the majority coalition, on 21 September 2010.
On 16 November 2010 the ByuT faction was officially renamed “Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko-Batkivschyna”.
By late 2010 the BYuT faction consisted of 113 lawmakers of the original 156 elected in September 2007. Most BYuT leavers became members of the "Stability and Reforms" coalition supporting the Azarov Government (17 of these became founding members of Reforms for the Future
Reforms for the Future
Reforms for the Future is a Ukrainian deputy group turned faction in its national parliament Verkhovna Rada created on February 16, 2011. Deputy Ihor Rybakov , is the groups faction leader. The faction supports the Azarov Government...
in February 2011). Four joined the Party of Regions
Party of Regions
The Party of Regions is an Ukrainian political party created on October 26, 1997 just prior to the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections under the name of Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others...
faction in October 2010 (followed by five others in March 2011). Early February 2011 seven more deputies where expelled from the faction. On 2 February 2011 party-leader Tymoshenko claimed members of the “Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko-Batkivschyna”-faction had been offered money and places in the election list of the Party of Regions
Party of Regions
The Party of Regions is an Ukrainian political party created on October 26, 1997 just prior to the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections under the name of Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others...
and have been blackmailed into voting for laws introduced by the Azarov Government. Ukrainian President
President of Ukraine
Prior to the formation of the modern Ukrainian presidency, the previous Ukrainian head of state office was officially established in exile by Andriy Livytskyi. At first the de facto leader of nation was the president of the Central Rada at early years of the Ukrainian People's Republic, while the...
Yanukovych
Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych is a Ukrainian politician who has been the President of Ukraine since February 2010.Yanukovych served as the Governor of Donetsk Oblast from 1997 to 2002...
and the Party of Regions have been accused of trying to create a "controlled democracy" in Ukraine and as a means to this are trying to "destroy" main opposition party BYuT, but both have denied this charges.
In November 2011 the participation of blocs of political parties in parliamentary elections was banned.
Ideology
The party does not have a clear ideology like most Ukrainian parties; however the party is pro-Europe and has liberal nationalistic and social democratic views and has a positive outlook on privatisation. While some political analysts described the party's ideology as being populisticPopulism
Populism can be defined as an ideology, political philosophy, or type of discourse. Generally, a common theme compares "the people" against "the elite", and urges social and political system changes. It can also be defined as a rhetorical style employed by members of various political or social...
.
Bloc's electoral results
| Parliamentary since 2002 (year links to election page) |
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| 2002 Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2002 Ukrainian parliamentary election of 2002 took place on March 31. Half of the deputies to Verkhovna Rada were elected on proportional basis, while the other half were elected by popular vote in single-mandate constituencies... |
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| 2006 Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2006 The Ukrainian parliamentary election took place on March 26, 2006. Election campaigning officially began on July 7, 2005. Between November 26 and December 31, 2005 party lists of candidates were formed.... |
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| 2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2007 Early parliamentary elections in Ukraine took place on 30 September 2007. The date of the election was determined following agreement between the President Viktor Yushchenko, the Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Moroz on 27 May 2007, in an attempt... |
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| Presidential since 1999 (year links to election page) | ||||||||
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| Year | Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
| 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, 2004 The Ukrainian presidential election, 2004 was held on October 31, November 21 and December 26, 2004. The election was the fourth presidential election to take place in Ukraine following independence from the Soviet Union... |
Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution... (not a member of BYuT but supported by BYuT during the election) |
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| 2010 Ukrainian presidential election, 2010 The Ukrainian presidential election of 2010 is Ukraine's fifth presidential election since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The first round was held on January 17, 2010... |
Yulia Tymoshenko Yulia Tymoshenko Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko , née Grigyan , born 27 November 1960, is a Ukrainian politician. She was the Prime Minister of Ukraine from 24 January to 8 September 2005, and again from 18 December 2007 to 4 March 2010. She placed third in Forbes Magazine's List of The World's 100 Most Powerful... |
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Constitution
BYuT proposes a national referendum on the system of governance (PresidentialPresidential system
A presidential system is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides separately from the legislature, to which it is not responsible and which cannot, in normal circumstances, dismiss it....
or Parliamentary
Parliamentary system
A parliamentary system is a system of government in which the ministers of the executive branch get their democratic legitimacy from the legislature and are accountable to that body, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined....
) and the adoption a new Constitution. On 15 February 2010 BYuT faction leader Ivan Kyrylenko
Ivan Kyrylenko
Ivan Hryhorovych Kyrylenko , Ukrainian SSR) is a Ukrainian politician and since 2007 faction leader of Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc in the Ukrainian Parliament.-Biography:...
stated "We think that that there is a post that is unnecessary in the state" (without mentioning which post he meant).
Justice
Raise salaries for judges and abolish the requirement for them to hear specific cases. Legal aid schemes for poor citizens so that income is not the final determinant of judicial representation and consideration.Media
The creation of public broadcast television, greater transparency and disclosure of ownership of media interests, the establishment of agreements between owners of media outlets and journalists in order to facilitate open and honest editorial policy, and increased internet availability.Social reform
Provide improved social welfare services while encouraging an expansion of the population. Specific plans include obligatory medical insurance, free state medical services for those in need, affordable medication, a rural doctor program, and increased payments for each newborn child. In addition, there are proposals for increased baby care allowances and long-term low interest loans for young families.Education
Stop the brain drainBrain drain
Human capital flight, more commonly referred to as "brain drain", is the large-scale emigration of a large group of individuals with technical skills or knowledge. The reasons usually include two aspects which respectively come from countries and individuals...
by restoring the status and raising the standards of the education system. Measures include incentives for investment in professional and higher education, and, most importantly, research and development.
Transit
Building new oil and gas pipelines and expanding public-private partnership investments to improve roads, railways and airports. Liberalization of the current regime for the transit of passengers and goods.Business
Address the imbalance between large enterprises, which dominate the business sector, and small by encouraging the growth of wealth-creating small- and medium-sized enterprises. Reduce the tax burden through the adoption of a new tax code while expanding assessment, minimizing tax remissions, and abolishing VAT. Simplify the process to set up and administer businesses and establishing lower business lending rates in line with European levels. Also proposed are measures to liberalize banking and insurance services and to encourage longer-term lending. Shareholder rights will be protected, the permit system reformed, and the governmental bureaucracy reduced.Energy
Overturn the nation's dependence on monopolies for importing energy while strengthening collaboration and coordination of energy policy with the EU. Specific policies include integration with the European market for the supply and consumption of electricity, measures to reduce oil and gas consumption, an increase in utilization of brown coal and the production of synthetic fuel. Complete the Odessa-Brody-Plotsk (Gdańsk) transit pipeline and build a gas transit pipeline linking the Caspian SeaCaspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
(running through Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
and Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
) and the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
. Encourage domestic production both onshore and offshore in the Black and Azov Seas.
Investment
Encouragement of domestic and foreign investment. Changing and eliminating legislation and legal contradictions that currently hinder investment. Procedures must be streamlined to allocate land under long-term leases to investors who will build new facilities in Ukraine, especially in the technology sector. Other proposals include transparent and open privatization and tender processes and the establishment of a network of regional ombudsman to simplify processes for obtaining import certificates. Special emphasis will be made to attract investment in the power sector and all new legislation enacted will be in accordance with WTO practices.Construction
BYuT proposes a system of mortgage lending with lower interest rates for house purchases along with governmental targets designed for public housing projects. Decentralization to the regional level will be implemented to facilitate these targets for both housing and commercial facilities. Special tax incentives are also envisioned for industrial projects to complement planning for investment described above.Agriculture
A program aimed at establishing a stronger, more profitable and environmentally responsible agricultural sector will be implemented. Crucial measures include the availability of development funds, agricultural exchanges, insurance funds and land-banks. Other initiatives involve the promotion of agricultural products to overseas markets. To facilitate a functioning land market, agricultural producers will have access to low interest loans, with incentives put in place for the development of cooperative banks and credit unions in rural areas.Relationships with other parties
Our UkraineOur Ukraine
The Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc is an electoral alliance active in Ukraine, associated with former President Viktor Yushchenko. Since 2005, the bloc has been dominated by a core consisting of the People's Union "Our Ukraine" party and five smaller partner parties.The Our Ukraine Bloc is...
has been the main ally of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc (BYuT) during the Orange Revolution
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
and in its aftermath. Relations with archrival Party of Regions
Party of Regions
The Party of Regions is an Ukrainian political party created on October 26, 1997 just prior to the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary elections under the name of Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others...
(PoR) has always been sour but at times seemed to improve. In 2009 a coalition government between the two parties seemed to become a reality. But early June talks to build a broad coalition to address the economic crisis
2008–2009 Ukrainian financial crisis
Ukraine was hit heavily by the late-2000s recession, the World Bank expects Ukraine's economy to shrink 15% in 2009 with inflation being 16.4%....
collapsed; Yulia Tymoshenko accused PoR leader Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych is a Ukrainian politician who has been the President of Ukraine since February 2010.Yanukovych served as the Governor of Donetsk Oblast from 1997 to 2002...
of betrayal. Then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko at the time showed little enthusiasm for a BYuT-PoR coalition.