Andriy Baloha's Team
Команда Андрія Балоги
LeaderAndriy Baloha[1]
FoundedSeptember 24, 1999 (1999-09-24) (Party of Private Property) / March 27, 2008 (2008-03-27) (United Centre)
HeadquartersKyiv, Ukraine[2]
Ideology
Colours   
Verkhovna Rada
1 / 450
Zakarpattia Oblast Council
7 / 64
[3]
Regions
194 / 43,122
[4]
Website
komandaa.org.ua

Andriy Baloha's Team (Ukrainian: Команда Андрія Балоги, romanized: Komanda Andriya Balohy; formerly United Centre) is a Ukrainian political party. It is an offspring of Our Ukraine.[5] Legally, Andriy Baloha's Team is the successor of the Party of Private Property (Ukrainian: Партія приватної власності; Partija privatnoi vlasnosti), registered with the Ministry of Justice on September 24, 1999.[6] The party changed its name to United Centre in March 2008.[6] In 2020, the party was renamed Andriy Baloha's Team and consequently taken over by Mukachevo mayor Andriy Baloha.[1]

As United Centre the party won 3 seats in the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election;[7] but in February 2013 its member Pavlo Baloha was deprived of his deputy seats by the Higher Administrative Court of Ukraine because it had established that the election results in the single-member districts in which he was elected had been "unreliable".[8] In the 2014 parliamentary election the party won no parliamentary seats.[9][10] In the 2019 parliamentary election the party won one seat as Viktor Baloha was elected to the Verkhovna Rada.[11]

History

Party of Private Property

The Party of Private Property was registered with the Ministry of Justice on September 24, 1999.[2][6] In the 1999 Ukrainian presidential election, the party endorsed incumbent President, Leonid Kuchma.[12]

During the Ukrainian parliamentary elections 2002, it was part of the electoral alliance Team of Winter Generation.[2][13] Team of Winter Generation won 2.0% of the popular vote and no seats.[2][14]

The Party of Private Property did not participate in the Ukrainian parliamentary elections of 2006 and 2007.[2]

A merger of United Centre with the Democratic Party of Ukraine failed to materialize prior to the first congress of the United Centre.[15]

United Centre

Logo of United Centre

Viktor Yushchenko Presidency (2008-2009)

In February 2008, several prominent members left Our Ukraine.[16] Viktor Baloha, Head of the President's Secretariat resigned on February 15.[17] Roman Bezsmertny, a high ranking party official, along with people's deputies Mykhaylo Polyanchych, Ihor Kril, Viktor Topolov, Oksana Bilozir and Vasyl Petiovka, resigned on February 20, declaring in a joint statement that: "some of the leaders of the party play their own game, coming from personal interests and it has nothing to do with responsibility, pluralism and norms of democracy."[18]

At the sixth Party Congress of the Party of Private Property, held on 20 March 2008, the party decided to change its name to United Centre.[6] At this time the party's goals were: "assisting President Viktor Yushchenko to realize his program of actions"[5] and "to unite Eastern Ukraine and Western Ukraine".[5]

On March 27, United Centre held the founding meeting in Kyiv.[5] On July 8, Presidential Secretariat's Chief Baloha entered the United Centre party.[5][19] On July 12, 2008 United Centre re-elected Verkhovna Rada deputy Ihor Kril of Our Ukraine - People's Self-Defense.[5] The merger of United Center with the Democratic Party of Ukraine failed to materialize prior to the congress.[15][20] Administrative pressure by governors upon state employees to sign up to United Centre is said to be ongoing.[15][19] Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defence Bloc complained that members of its regional branches are being poached by United Centre.[19]

In October 2008 the Social Christian Party merged with United Centre.[21]

On October 21, 2008 the presidium of People's Union Our Ukraine decided not to team up with any other party then the Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc for the 2008 snap parliamentary poll and called the idea of teaming up with United Centre "impossible".[22][23] On 20 November 2008, the United Centre leader Ihor Kril said the party would participate independently in the next parliamentary elections and that he "fully supports the view that the format of Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense Bloc, as it exists now, is not realistic or effective. Every political force should take responsibility for their actions before the electorate."[24]

According to UNIAN, the People's Union Our Ukraine and United Centre parties were to carry out a unifying congress on January 17, 2009. The People's Democratic Party was reported to join the move.[25] However, nothing like this happened.

Viktor Baloha resigned as Head of the Secretariat of the President of Ukraine because he was against President Yushchenko's decision to run for president for a second term and alleged nepotism.[26][27]

Viktor Yanukovych Presidency (2010-2014)

The party did not join the parliamentary coalition which supported the Azarov Government in March 2010 because the Communist Party of Ukraine was a part of that coalition.[28]

A March 2010 poll predicted that the party would get 0.2% of the vote at the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election.[29]

In early August 2010 parliamentarian Kyrylo Kulykov joined the party, thus making six United Centre lawmakers in the Verkhovna Rada.[30] Kulykov had switched from Yuriy Lutsenko's People's Self-Defense.[31] This was still nine too short to form a United Centre faction in the Verkhovna Rada.[32]

In the 2010 local elections, the party won a few representatives in regional parliaments and then went to achieve a stunning victory in the Zakarpattia Oblast.[33]

On November 12, 2010, President Viktor Yanukovych appointed party leader Viktor Baloha Minister of Emergencies and Minister of the Protection of the Population from the Chernobyl disaster .[34] According to Baloha, this did not mean his party would join the coalition government.[35] According to Ukrayinska Pravda, the United Centre deputies in parliament already quietly voted with the Party of Regions (the main component of the Azarov Government).[36] Deputy Lesya Orobets left the party after Baloha's appointment because the party never informed her about it.[37]

According to Ukrainian media Strong Ukraine party leader Serhiy Tyhypko personally prevented a merger of United Centre with Party of Regions in March 2012.[38]

The party did not take part in the October 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election nationwide proportional party-list system;[39] instead nine members of the party tried to win seats in the 225 local single-member districts.[40][41] The party won 3 constituencies (all in Zakarpattia) and thus parliamentary representation.[42] These seats where won by Viktor Baloha, Vasyl Petiovka and Pavlo Baloha.[43] Pavlo Baloha joined the faction of Party of Regions in December 2012, while Viktor Baloha and Petiovka did not join any faction.[44] Pavlo Baloha left the Party of Regions faction mid-April 2012 to become an unaffiliated lawmaker too.[45]

Pavlo Baloha was deprived of his deputy seats on 8 February 2013 by the Higher Administrative Court of Ukraine because it had established that the election results in the single-member districts in which he was elected (single-member districts number 71 in Zakarpattia Oblast) had been "unreliable".[8] On 7 July 2013 Pavlo Baloha's mandate was officially cancelled.[46]

After 2014

In the 2014 parliamentary election, the party did not compete on the nationwide party list and also did not win a constituency seat and thus no parliamentary seats.[9] [10]

In the 2019 parliamentary election the party won one seat, Viktor Baloha was elected (for the party) to parliament.[11]

Andriy Baloha's Team

In August 2020, ahead of the 2020 Ukrainian local elections, the party was renamed Andriy Baloha's Team, and taken over by Viktor Baloha's son, Andriy Baloha.[1] Under the new name, the party saw a revival as a regional political force in Zakarpattia Oblast. Even though it only ran candidates within Zakarpattia, the organization garnered 0.5% of the total vote across Ukraine in the 2020 elections, winning 194 seats on local councils across Zakarpattia and 7 seats on the regional legislature, the Zakarpattia Oblast Council.[4] Its most notable success came in the city of Mukachevo, where Andriy Baloha was reelected mayor. Baloha received 54% of the vote, allowing him to bypass a potential runoff election.[47]

In January 2022 (Andriy) Baloha joined (former parliamentary speaker) Dmytro Razumkov's new political project.[48]

Stances

The party rejects any possibility of joining a parliamentary coalition with the Communist Party of Ukraine.[28][49]

Election results

Parliamentary since 1994
(year links to election page)
Year Bloc Votes % Mandates
2002
525,025
2.10
0 (0)
2006 did not participate
2007 did not participate
2012
N/A
N/A
0 (3)
2014 did not participate
2019
N/A
N/A
0 (1)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Партію "Єдиний центр" перейменовано: Віктор Балога більше не є її керівником". PMG.ua (in Ukrainian). 27 July 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 (in Ukrainian) Єдиний Центр, DATA
  3. ↑ "Zakarpattia Oblast Council results". cvk.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). Central Election Commission. 25 October 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Elected Deputies of Local Councils". cvk.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). Central Election Commission. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "United Centre Reelects MP Kril Of OU-PSD As Leader". Ukrainian News Agency. July 12, 2008.
  6. 1 2 3 4 (in Ukrainian) "Партія Приватної власності" офіційно повідомила Мін’юст про зміну назви на "Єдиний центр" Archived 2010-06-21 at the Wayback Machine, Ukrainian Ministry of Justice
  7. ↑ Party of Regions gets 185 seats in Ukrainian parliament, Batkivschyna 101 - CEC, Interfax-Ukraine (12 November 2012)
  8. 1 2 Higher Administrative Court deprives two MPs of deputy seats, Kyiv Post (9 February 2013)
    (in Ukrainian) ВИЩИЙ СУД ПОЗБАВИВ МАНДАТІВ ДВОХ ДЕПУТАТІВ Superior Court denied MANDATES two deputies, Ukrayinska Pravda (8 February 2013)
    (in Ukrainian) В опозиції ініціюють звільнення суддів ВАСУ The opposition initiated dismissal Vasu, Den (11 February 2013)
  9. 1 2 Poroshenko Bloc to have greatest number of seats in parliament Archived 2014-11-10 at the Wayback Machine, Ukrainian Television and Radio (8 November 2014)
    People's Front 0.33% ahead of Poroshenko Bloc with all ballots counted in Ukraine elections - CEC, Interfax-Ukraine (8 November 2014)
    Poroshenko Bloc to get 132 seats in parliament - CEC, Interfax-Ukraine (8 November 2014)
  10. 1 2 Olszański, Tadeusz A. (16 October 2014), Before the parliamentary elections in Ukraine, OSW—Centre for Eastern Studies
  11. 1 2 CEC counts 100 percent of vote in Ukraine's parliamentary elections, Ukrinform (26 July 2019)
    (in Russian) Results of the extraordinary elections of the People's Deputies of Ukraine 2019, Ukrayinska Pravda (21 July 2019)
    Extraordinary elections of People's Deputies of Ukraine 2019 - Single-mandate Constituency # 69, Central Election Commission of Ukraine
  12. ↑ Партія приватної власності, party.civicua.org
  13. ↑ Electoral list of candidates for deputy from Election bloc of Political Parties "Team of Winter Generation", Central Election Commission of Ukraine
  14. ↑ (in Ukrainian) Партія "Віче", sd.net
  15. 1 2 3 "YUSHCHENKO SWITCHES SUPPORT FROM OUR UKRAINE TO UNITED CENTER". The Jamestown Foundation. July 28, 2008.
  16. ↑ "OU lost one more member". ForUm. 2008-02-27. Archived from the original on 2008-09-28. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  17. ↑ UNIAN - President`s Chief of Staff stops his membership of pro-presidential party
  18. ↑ UNIAN - Bessmertny, Kryl, Petyovka and others – six people left Our Ukraine
  19. 1 2 3 Personal blog by Taras Kuzio, adjunct professor in the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at Carleton University, Ottawa
  20. ↑ ""United Center" Unites Parties. "Nasha Ukraina" Ready to Join it?!". Media International Group Ukraine. September 12, 2008. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011.
  21. ↑ (in Ukrainian)Соціально-Християнська партія України cамоліквідувалася, z i k (October 16, 2008)
  22. ↑ "Our Ukraine officially refused to team up with United Center". Ukrainian Independent Information Agency. October 21, 2008.
  23. ↑ "Our Ukraine Board defined the formatting of participation in elections". Our Ukraine official website. October 21, 2008.
  24. ↑ "United Centre party intends to participate independently in parliamentary elections, says Kril". Interfax Ukraine. October 21, 2008.
  25. ↑ Our Ukraine and United Center parties to unite, Ukrainian Independent Information Agency (24 December 2008)
  26. ↑ Baloha says Yuschenko has no moral right to run for president again, Interfax-Ukraine (May 19, 2009)
  27. ↑ Both Tymoshenko and Yushchenko should quit Ukrainian power – Baloha, Ukrainian Independent Information Agency (May 19, 2009)
  28. 1 2 (in Russian) Балога: Мы много помогали на выборах Януковичу и не скрываем этого, Official party website (March 9, 2010)
  29. ↑ Party Of Regions, Tymoshenko bloc, Strong Ukraine, Front for Change and Communist Party would get into parliament, Kyiv Post (April 12, 2010)
  30. ↑ Kyrylo Kulykov heads Kyiv branch of United Center party, Kyiv Post (August 5, 2010)
  31. ↑ (in Russian) Кирилл Куликов (biography), ЛIГА
  32. ↑ Rada Approves Cancellation Of Rule That Bans Deputies From Switching Factions Archived 2010-10-09 at the Wayback Machine, The Financial (October 8, 2010)
  33. ↑ (in Ukrainian) Results of the elections, preliminary data, on interactive maps by Ukrayinska Pravda (November 8, 2010)
  34. ↑ Yanukovych appointed Baloha Emergency Minister of Ukraine, Ukrainian Independent Information Agency (November 12, 2010)
  35. ↑ (in Ukrainian) Янукович зробив Балогу міністром, Ukrainian Independent Information Agency (November 12, 2010)
  36. ↑ (in Ukrainian) Віктор Янукович готується перетрусити команду, Ukrayinska Pravda (November 24, 2010)
  37. ↑ (in Ukrainian) Леся Оробець: Я з Інтернету дізнаюся про те, що Балога сидітиме за одним столом із Табачником, Ukrainian Independent Information Agency (November 15, 2010)
  38. ↑ (in Ukrainian) Тігіпко зажадав від "Регіонів" не брати Балогу, Ukrayinska Pravda (15 March 2012)
  39. ↑ (in Ukrainian) Information on the registration of electoral lists of candidates Archived 2012-12-22 at archive.today, Central Election Commission of Ukraine
  40. ↑ (in Ukrainian) Єдиний Центр на з’їзді висунув кандидатів у народні депутати України United Center on Congress put forward candidates for people's deputies of Ukraine, Parties official website (31 July 2012)
  41. ↑ (in Ukrainian) Candidates, RBC Ukraine
  42. ↑ (in Ukrainian) Proportional votes Archived 2012-10-30 at the Wayback Machine & Constituency seats Archived 2012-11-05 at the Wayback Machine, Central Election Commission of Ukraine
  43. ↑ Results of the vote count, Kyiv Post (9 November 2012)
  44. ↑ (in Ukrainian) National deputies of Ukraine Archived 2012-12-15 at the Wayback Machine, Verkhovna Rada
  45. ↑ (in Ukrainian) "Dynamics" in the Party of Regions Verkhovna Rada faction, Verkhovna Rada
  46. ↑ Baloha, Dombrovsky no longer MPs, Ukrinform (3 July 2013)
  47. ↑ "Andriy Baloha wins Mukacheve mayoral election at first round". Kyiv Post. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  48. ↑ (in Ukrainian) The youngest Baloha and the Ukrainian who conquered Everest joined the Razumkov Team, Ukrayinska Pravda (24 January 2022)
  49. ↑ (in Ukrainian) Оробець: При формуванні нової парламентської коаліції «фактор комуністів» і Конституція несумісні, Official party website (March 9, 2010)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.