People's Front (Ukraine)

People's Front
Народний фронт
President Arseniy Yatsenyuk
Parliamentary leader Maksym Burbak[1]
Founded 31 March 2014
Split from All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland"
Headquarters Akademik Kurchatov Street, 3, Kiev, 02068
Ideology Conservatism[2]
Pro-Europeanism[3]
National conservatism[2]
Political position Right-wing
European affiliation None
International affiliation None
Colours           Yellow, Blue
Slogan Strong team for difficult times
Verkhovna Rada
81 / 450
Regions (2015)[4]
12 / 158,399
Website
nfront.org.ua

People's Front (Ukrainian: Народний фронт; also translated as Popular Front[5]) is a political party in Ukraine founded by Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Oleksandr Turchynov in 2014.[5]

Many members of the new political entity were former members of Fatherland including Yatsenyuk and Turchynov.[6]

The party won 82 seats in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election.[7][8]

History

The party was registered at the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice on 31 March 2014.[9] Yatsenyuk and Turchynov had become unsatisfied with Fatherland when on 21 August 2014 that party's political council decided that Yulia Tymoshenko would head the party list at the October 26 parliamentary election.[9][10] People's Front held its first party congress on 10 September 2014.[5] At this congress Yatsenyuk was elected chairman of the political council and Turchynov was elected to lead its headquarters.[9] At the time Yatsenyuk was Prime Minister of Ukraine and Turchynov was Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada.[9] Several high-ranking members of Ukrainian territorial defense battalions, who at the time were fighting in the War in Donbass, were made part of the Party's "military council" (though not full party members).[11] In his speech to the first party congress Yatsenyuk called for "unification and unity of all democratic forces" since this would be "the recipe for our victory".[12] Many high-ranking Fatherland members became founding members of the party including Lyudmyla Denisova, Arsen Avakov, Pavlo Petrenko and Andriy Parubiy.[6][13]

In September 2014 it was reported that People's Front and the Petro Poroshenko Bloc were in talks over joint participation in the forthcoming parliamentary election. By 12 September the two parties had reached only an agreement that the Poroshenko Bloc would not put forward candidates for 10 single-member constituencies to avoid competition with People's Front.[14] The following day Yatsenyuk announced that People's Front would stand alone in the election: "We should be going into the elections together with the President, but I am not satisfied with the party of President Poroshenko. So we are different in camps, although we share the same viewpoints for the sake of change and reforms."[15]

Concerning the War in Donbass involving pro-Russian separatists, the party position to end the conflict is ambiguous. According to political scientist Tadeusz A. Olszański the party is in favor of use of force to resolve the conflict.[3]

The first 10 candidates from the party list for the 2014 parliamentary election were:

  1. Arseniy Yatsenyuk
  2. Tetiana Chornovol
  3. Oleksandr Turchynov
  4. Andriy Parubiy
  5. Andriy Teteruk
  6. Arsen Avakov
  7. Viktoria Siumar
  8. Vyacheslav Kyrylenko
  9. Liliya Hrynevych
  10. Yuriy Bereza
Party support (% of votes cast) by region of Ukraine at the 2014 parliamentary election.

At the election, the party won the nationwide popular vote with 22.14% against 21.81% for the Petro Poroshenko Bloc, in addition to 18 single-member constituencies.[8] The Petro Poroshenko Bloc however, won 69 constituencies for a total of 132 seats.[8]

On 21 November 2014 the party became a member of the coalition supporting the current second Yatsenyuk government and send five minister into this government.[16][17]

In a June 2015 opinion poll by Sociological group "RATING" 2.7% of the polled stated they would vote for People's Front.[18] A Kyiv International Institute of Sociology poll of the same month gave the party 1.6%.[19]

The party did not take part in the October 2015 local elections.[20]

(Following the fall of the second Yatsenyuk government) the party joined the coalition that supports the 14 April 2016 installed Groysman government.[21]

Ideology

According to Oleg Varfolomeyev of the Eurasia Daily Monitor the party "falls further down along the nationalist and populist spectrums".[22]

Structure

Military council

The military council is a special body of People's Front. It develops proposals for strengthening of the defence system of Ukraine.

The council was created on 10 September 2014 together with the political and coordinating councils of the party. It was formed by the party congress which also approved the council's composition. It included the Chief of Staff of the party and Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Turchynov, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, coordinator of the "Information Resistance" blog, Lt. Col. Dmytro Tymchuk, former acting Head of the Presidential Administration and co-founder of the revived National Guard Serhiy Pashynskiy and former secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, Euromaidan commandant and organizer of the Maidan self-defense units Andriy Parubiy.

The council is made up of leading commanders of the territorial defense battalions: Andriy Biletsky, commander of the Azov Battalion, Yuriy Bereza, commander of the Dnipro Battalion, Kostyantyn Mateichenko, commander of the Artemivsk battalion, Roman Pytski, commander of the Chernihiv battalion, Andriy Teteruk, commander of the Myrotvorets battalion, Yevhen Deydey, commander of the Kyiv-1 battalion, Mykola Shvalya, commander of the Zoloti Vorota battalion, Ihor Lapin, company commander of the Aidar Battalion Serhiy Sydoryn, vice-battalion commander of the National Guard and Mykhailo Havryluk, a soldier of the Kyivska Rus battalion.

Political council

The founding political council included Arsen Avakov, Liliya Hrynevych, Vyacheslav Kyrylenko, Pavlo Petrenko, Andriy Parubiy, Oleksandr Turchinov, Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Tetyana Chornovol.

Coordinating council

The coordinating council includes the members of the political council and heads of the party's regional organizations.

Election results

Verkhovna Rada

Year Popular vote % of popular vote Overall seats won Seat change Government
2014 3,485,191 22.16
82 / 450
Increase 82 Coalition government

See also

References

  1. (Ukrainian) Yatsenyuk faction finally got his head, Ukrayinska Pravda (3 July 2015)
  2. 1 2 Nordsieck, Wolfram. Parties and Elections in Europe http://parties-and-elections.eu/ukraine.html. Retrieved 26 October 2014. Missing or empty |title= (help); |chapter= ignored (help)
  3. 1 2 Olszański, Tadeusz A. (17 September 2014), Ukraine’s political parties at the start of the election campaign, OSW—Centre for Eastern Studies
  4. Кандидати, яких обрано депутатами рад. www.cvk.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). 15 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 (Ukrainian)Yatsenyuk became a leader of the "People's Front" political council, while Turchynov is a head of its headquarters. Ukrayinska Pravda. 10 September 2014
    Ukrainian PM, Parliament Speaker to Head Newly Formed Popular Front Party, RIA Novosti (10 September 2014)
  6. 1 2 Ukraine's united opposition discussing formation of single party, Kyiv Post (7 December 2012)(subscription required)
    Five factions, including Communist Party, registered in parliament, Kyiv Post (12 December 2012)(subscription required)
    Sobolev: Front for Change and Reform and Order Party to join Batkivschyna, Interfax-Ukraine (11 June 2013)
    Front for Change, Reforms and Order to dissolve for merger with Batkivshchyna - Sobolev, Ukrinform (11 June 2013)
    (Ukrainian) Sobolev heads "Batkivshchyna" in the Rada, Televiziyna Sluzhba Novyn (20 March 2014)
    "Turchynov is summoned for interrogation to SBU today – BYUT". UNIAN. 20 September 2010. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
    "Batkivschyna to nominate Tymoshenko for presidency, Yatseniuk heads party's political council". Kyiv Post. Interfax-Ukraine. 14 June 2013. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
    "BYT-Batkivschyna replaces its leader". Kyiv Post. Interfax-Ukraine. 7 December 2011. Archived from the original on 7 December 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  7. Poroshenko and Yatsenyuk’s parties maneuver for lead role in coalition , Kyiv Post (29 October 2014)
    New Verkhovna Rada, Kyiv Post (Oct. 30, 2014)
  8. 1 2 3 Poroshenko Bloc to have greatest number of seats in parliament, Ukrinform (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)
  9. 1 2 3 4 Yatseniuk elected head of political council of People's Front Party – congress decision, Interfax-Ukraine (10 September 2014)
  10. Ukraine President Poroshenko Calls Snap General Election, Bloomberg News (25 August 2014)
  11. "Turchynov, Avakov, Parubiy and commanders of special battalions included in military council of People's Front". KyivPost.
  12. Yatseniuk calls for unification of all democratic forces in run-up to parliamentary elections, Interfax-Ukraine (10 September 2014)
  13. Yatseniuk elected head of political council of People's Front Party, Demotix (9 September 2014)
  14. Партии Яценюка и Порошенко не смогли договориться о совместном походе на выборы, zn.ua (12 September 2014)
  15. "Яценюк піде на вибори окремо від "Блоку Порошенка"".
  16. Rada supports coalition-proposed government lineup, Interfax-Ukraine (2 December 2014)
    Rada approves new Cabinet with three foreigners, Kyiv Post (2 December 2014)
    (Ukrainian) Rada voted the new Cabinet, Ukrayinska Pravda (2 December 2014)
  17. Five political forces sign coalition agreement, Interfax-Ukraine (21 November 2014)
    Ukraine's parliamentary parties initial coalition agreement, Interfax-Ukraine (21 November 2014)
  18. Yatseniuk-led People's Front doesn't make 5% barrier in hypothetical Rada elections – poll, Interfax-Ukraine (19 June 2015)
  19. Yatsenyuk’s party drops in polls as scandals swirl around prime minister, Kyiv Post (2 July 2015)
  20. Yatseniuk's People's Front refuses to nominate its candidates for local polls, Interfax-Ukraine (28 August 2015)
    Poroshenko hobbles on, Politico Europe (26 October 2015)
  21. "Ukraine MPs approve Volodymyr Groysman as new PM". BBC News. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
    New Cabinet formed in Ukraine, UNIAN (14 April 2016)
    Week’s balance: PM Groysman, Rada’s sabotage, and disappointing IMF forecast, UNIAN (18 April 2016)
    (Ukrainian) Spring transplantation: Prime Groisman and without a coalition Cabinet, Ukrayinska Pravda (14 April 2016)
  22. , Ukrainian Weekly (18 September 2015)
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