Opposition Platform — For Life

Opposition Platform — For Life (Ukrainian: Опозиційна платформа — За життя, Russian: Оппозиционная платформа — За жизнь, OPZZh) is a pro-Russian[1] political party in Ukraine founded in December 2018 with the aim to contest together the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election and then the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election. The party is the successor of For life (Ukrainian: За життя), formerly All-Ukrainian Union "Center" from 1999 to 2016. It was originally registered in December 1999.[4] In the 2019 parliamentary election the party won 37 seats on the nationwide party list and 6 constituency seats.[5]

Opposition Platform — For Life

Опозицiйна платформа — За життя
Оппозиционная платформа — За жизнь
ChairmanVadim Rabinovich
Yuriy Boyko
Viktor Medvedchuk
Founded13 December 2018 (2018-12-13)
Merger of
HeadquartersKyiv
IdeologySocial liberalism
Russophilia[1]
Russian minority interests
Euroscepticism[2]
Political positionCentre[2]
Colours  (official)
  (customary)
Verkhovna Rada
44 / 450
Regions[3]
4,215 / 43,122
Website
zagittya.com.ua

The current party is composed by members from (the predecessor of it) For Life, Opposition Bloc, Ukraine – Forward!, Party of Development of Ukraine, and Ukrainian Choice.

History

All-Ukrainian Union "Center"

At the 2002 Ukrainian parliamentary election the party won only 0.16% of the votes as part of "National Movement Bloc" along with People's Movement of Ukraine for Unity.[6]

During the legislative elections of 26 March 2006, the party was part of the Opposition Bloc "Ne Tak". In the 30 September 2007 elections, the party failed as part of the Electoral Bloc of Political Parties "KUCHMA" to win parliamentary representation.[6]

The party did not participate in the 2012 parliamentary elections.[7]

For the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, the party joined the Opposition Bloc along with other five parties; in these elections Opposition Bloc won 29 seats.[8][9][10]

For life

In July 2016 former members of the Opposition Bloc Vadim Rabinovich and Yevhen Murayev[11] reconstituted the party under the name For life.[12]

In September 2018 Murayev left For life[13] and (5 days later) created the new political party Ours (Nashi).[14][15]

The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine did not register the name change of All-Ukrainian Union "Center".[16]

Foundation of Opposition Platform — For life

According to Ukrayinska Pravda, the negotiations on the unification of the parties For Life and Opposition Bloc started in the summer of 2018. Ukrayinska Pravda claims these talks were instigated by Serhiy Lyovochkin who, along with Dmytro Firtash, controlled one of the wings of Opposition Bloc, whereas Rinat Akhmetov controlled the other wing of Opposition Bloc. In early November 2018, the Opposition Bloc members loyal to Akhmetov decided to take a pause in the negotiations.[17]

On 5 November 2018, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest associates and chief of staff to former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Medvedchuk was elected chairman of the party For Life political party's council.[18][19][20] Medvedchuk was also leader of the Ukrainian Choice NGO, a socially conservative pro-Russian political group and partially prohibited in Ukraine as openly anti-Ukrainian.[21]

On 9 November 2018, Opposition Bloc chairman Yuriy Boyko and For Life signed an agreement (called Opposition Platform - For life) for cooperation in the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election and the parliamentary election of the same year.[22][23] The same day Opposition Bloc leading members Vadym Novynskyi and Borys Kolesnikov claimed the agreement was a "personal initiative" of Boyko and that the party had not take any decisions on cooperation with For life.[24]

Opposition Bloc members, Ukraine – Forward! and Party of Development of Ukraine joined the Opposition Platform — For life alliance on 17 November 2018.[23][25] The same day, Opposition Platform-For life nominated Boyko as its candidate in the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election.[23]

After Boyko was excluded from the parliamentary faction of the Opposition Bloc (the reason given was "because they betrayed their voters" interests), on 20 November 2018 he announced the creation of a new parliamentary group called "Opposition Platform — For life".[26][27] According to Boyko, part of the Opposition Bloc is to join this new parliamentary group and he claimed "we have several offers from MPs belonging to other groups".[27]

On 13 December 2018, it was announced that a new party, called Opposition Platform — For life, had been formed.[28]

Boyko's official nomination was announced on 17 November. Because Opposition Platform-For life was not yet registered as a party in January 2019, it could not nominate him as a presidential candidate.[29][16] Hence on 17 January 2019 Boyko submitted documents to the Central Election Commission of Ukraine for registration as a self-nominated candidate.[29][nb 1] In the election Boyko took fourth place with 11.67% of the total vote.[32]

2019 parliamentary election and 2020 local elections
Top 10 Opposition Platform — For life candidates in the 2019 parliamentary elections[33]

Yuriy Boiko  · Vadym Rabinovych  · Viktor Medvedchuk  · Natalya Korolevska  · Serhiy Lyovochkin
Vasyl Nimchenko  · Nestor Shufrych  · Serhiy Larin  · Serhiy Dunaev  · Taras Kozak

Results of the 2019 elections

In the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election the party won 37 seats (13.05% of the total votes) on the nationwide party list and 6 constituency seats.[5] 11.4% of the party's elected deputies were women.[34]

In the October 2020 Ukrainian local elections the party was successful in South and Eastern Ukraine, although the local parties of city mayors (in particular in Odessa, Mykolaiv and Sloviansk) cost them support compared with its predecessor Opposition Bloc in the 2015 Ukrainian local elections.[35][36] Opposition Platform — For Life took third place in the local election with 11.75% of all votes being casted to the party.[37] The highest number of seats in the election was won by Servant of the People with 17.59% of local deputies nominated in the election by this party.[37] Second place was for Fatherland with 12.39%.[37]

Policies
Metting between the Russian government officials and the OPFL leaders in March 2019
Meeting of top politicians from United Russia and the OPFL in July 2019

In the party election program for the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election the party promised to undo decommunization, lustration and Ukrainization policies, renegotiate the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement and revive trade with the CIS countries.[38] The group wants the "neutrality of Ukraine in the military-political sphere and non-participation in any military-political alliances".[38] As a means of fighting poverty, the party advocates the "reduction of gas tariffs for the population of Ukraine to 3800 - 4000 UAH per thousand cubic meters due to direct gas supplies from the Russian Federation". The party wants to end the War in Donbass by negotiating directly with the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic.[38] The party program[38] does not mention the issue of Crimea.

On 17 February 2020 at conciliation council among leaders of parliamentary factions Vadim Rabinovych urged to send Ukrainian delegation to participate in the 9 May Victory parade in Moscow and started to sing the Soviet song "The Sacred War" (Rise up, the mighty country).[39][40]

With the ongoing Russian military intervention in Ukraine, on 10 March 2020 the parliamentary deputy group of Opposition Platform — For Life sent its delegation as official parliamentary delegation of Ukraine to the Russian Duma.[41][42] The OPFL delegation was met with standing ovations in the Russian Duma. Soon after the information appeared, the press service office of the Verkhovna Rada denied that the parliament commissioned the delegation to conduct any negotiations with the Russian Duma representatives and no official documents were issued for foreign visit of the delegation.[43][44]

Election results

Verkhovna Rada
All-Ukrainian Union Center
Year Popular vote % of popular vote Overall seats won Seat change Government
2006 Opposition Bloc "Ne Tak"
0 / 450
 0 Extra-parliamentary
2007 KUCHMA Electoral Bloc of Political Parties
0 / 450
 0 Extra-parliamentary
2014 Opposition Bloc
29 / 450
 29 Opposition
Opposition Platform — For Life
Year Popular vote % of popular vote Overall seats won Seat change Government
2019 1,908,087 13.05
43 / 450
 43 Opposition

Presidential elections
Year Candidate First round Second round Won/Loss
Votes % Rank Votes %
2019 Yuriy Boyko 2,206,216 11.67% 4th Eliminated Loss

Notes
  1. Also in January 2019 Yuriy Boyko's former Opposition Bloc fellow faction member Oleksandr Vilkul was nominated for the presidency by Opposition Bloc - Party for Development and Peace (the recently renamed Industrial Party of Ukraine).[30] According to Liga.net Rinat Akhmetov had renamed Industrial Party of Ukraine to Opposition Bloc - Party for Development and Peace solely to circumvent the courts injunction of 20 December 2018 (which prohibited any changes to the statute of the (party) Opposition Bloc, this lawsuit was filed by People's Deputy of Ukraine for Opposition Bloc Serhiy Larin[31]).[30]
  1. Dmytro Firtash's and Yuriy Boyko's wing members

References
  1. С Днем России!
  2. Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019). "Ukraine". Parties and Elections in Europe.
  3. Обрані депутати місцевих рад. www.cvk.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). 23 November 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  4. (in Ukrainian) Who is who on the list? Opposition platform - "For life." With whom and with what the elections are going to Medvedchuk and Rabinovich, Espresso TV (5 July 2019)
  5. 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)
  6. (in Ukrainian) Databases ASD: Political parties in Ukraine
  7. (in Ukrainian) Results of voting in single constituencies in 2012 Archived November 27, 2012, at the Wayback Machine & Nationwide list, Central Election Commission of Ukraine
  8. Poroshenko Bloc to have greatest number of seats in parliament Archived November 12, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Ukrinform (8 November 2014)
    People's Front 0.33% ahead of Poroshenko Bloc with all ballots counted in Ukraine elections - CEC Archived November 12, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Interfax-Ukraine (8 November 2014)
    Poroshenko Bloc to get 132 seats in parliament - CEC, Interfax-Ukraine (8 November 2014)
  9. Opposition Bloc boosts rating by distancing itself from Yanukovych era, Kyiv Post (Oct. 24, 2014)
  10. Opposition Bloc boosts rating by distancing itself from Yanukovych era, Kyiv Post (Oct. 24, 2014)
    Development party of Ukraine, 'Ukraine - Forward!' and four more political forces team up in Opposition Bloc, Kyiv Post (Sept. 15, 2014)
    Ukraine’s Elections: The Battle of the Billionaires, The Daily Beast (10.25.14)
    (in Ukrainian) Non-Maidan parties united into the Opposition Bloc. Radio Liberty. 14 September 2014
  11. "Party 'the Center' received a new name". Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  12. http://ukropnews24.com/party-the-center-received-a-new-name/
  13. (in Ukrainian) Muraev said that he was leaving Rabinovich and created his own party, Ukrayinska Pravda (21 September 2018)
  14. Murayev will head Nashi Party, Interfax-Ukraine (26 September 2018)
  15. (in Ukrainian) People's Deputy Murayev is heading a new party "OUR", Channel 24 (26 September 2018)
  16. (in Ukrainian) FOR LIFE Who is Vadim Rabinovich to whom? by Ukrayinska Pravda/Civil movement "Chesno" (2017)
  17. (in Ukrainian) Odd-man-out. Why Leovochkin and Medvedchuk are preparing for the election without Akhmetov, Ukrayinska Pravda (20 November 2018)
  18. https://www.politico.eu/article/the-dirty-dozen-12-people-who-ruined-ukraine/
  19. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/putin-russia-godfather-viktor-medvedchuk-us-sanctions-ukraine-politics-a8515456.html
  20. https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/542776.html
  21. In Zakarpattia prohibited the Medvedchuk's "Ukrainian Choice" (На Закарпатті заборонили «Український вибір» Медведчука). ZIK. 26 February 2014
  22. Two Russia-friendly parties join forces for presidential election, Kyiv Post (9 November 2018)
  23. (in Ukrainian) The association of Boyko-Rabinovich was determined with the presidential candidate, Ukrayinska Pravda (17 November 2018)
  24. (in Ukrainian) Boyko's decision to merge with Rabinovich does not concern the "Opposition" - Novinsky, Ukrayinska Pravda (9 November 2018)
  25. (in Ukrainian) Партія «Опозиційна платформа – За життя»: програма, обіцянки, перші номери, гроші та скандали, Opinionua.com (17 July 2019)
  26. Boiko, Loovochkin excluded from Opposition Bloc faction for betraying voters' interests — Vilkul, Interfax-Ukraine (20 November 2018)
  27. Boiko announces creation of Opposition Platform — For Life parliamentary group, Interfax-Ukraine (20 November 2018)
  28. (in Ukrainian) New party will appear in Ukraine - "Opposition platform - For life", Interfax-Ukraine (13 December 2018)
  29. (in Ukrainian) Boyko began registering as a presidential candidate, Ukrayinska Pravda (17 November 2018)
  30. (in Ukrainian) Presidential elections: Kivu, Vilkul and Hnapa have been nominated, Korrespondent.net (20 January 2019)
    (in Ukrainian) Kiva and Vilkul surrendered to the Central Election Commission, Ukrayinska Pravda (22 January 2019)
  31. (in Ukrainian) Split "Opoploko": the court imposed restrictions on the party before the congress, Ukrayinska Pravda (14 December 2018)
  32. First round results of the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election, Central Election Commission of Ukraine
  33. Party list of Opposition Platform — For life. Radio Liberty. 7 June 2019
  34. (in Ukrainian) The new Council has increased the number of women deputies, Ukrayinska Pravda (23 July 2019)
  35. (in Ukrainian) Party measurement of the results of local elections in 2020, Ukrayinska Pravda (23 November 2020)
  36. (in Ukrainian) Local elections in Slovyansk: a cold shower for OPZZh, The Ukrainian Week (26 November 2020)
  37. (in Ukrainian) The CEC showed the top 10 parties that won the most seats in the election, Ukrayinska Pravda (18 November 2020)
  38. ПРЕДВЫБОРНАЯ ПРОГРАММА ПАРТИИ "ОППОЗИЦИОННАЯ ПЛАТФОРМА - "ЗА ЖИЗНЬ". LB.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 2019-06-12.
  39. Rabinovich wanted to sent a delegation to Moscow for the 9 May parade, in "Holos" offered for those volunteers to take a one-way travel ticket (Рабинович захотел отправить делегацию в Москву на парад 9 мая, в Голосе предложили желающим взять билет в один конец). Novoye vremia. 17 February 2020
  40. Rabinovich turned for leaders of the Rada facitons the Soviet song "The Sacred War" (Рабинович включил советскую песню «Вставай страна огромная» главам фракций Рады). Novosti Donbassa. 2 March 2020
  41. The OPFL delegation met with the State Duma deputies, while Medvedchuk [met with Putin (Делегация ОПЗЖ встретилась с депутатами Госдумы, а Медведчук с Путиным)]. Antifashist.com. 11 March 2020
  42. Kalashnikov called for Ukraine to decide on participation in the Normandy negotiations parliamentary format (Калашников призвал Украину определиться с участием в парламентском нормандском формате). Duma TV. 11 March 2020
  43. In the Rada office called the travel of the OPFL deputies to Moscow a private visit (В аппарате Рады назвали поездку депутатов от ОПЗЖ в Москву частным визитом). Interfax-Ukraine. 11 March 2020
  44. The OPFL deputies did not go on official travel to Moscow, the Rada office (Депутаты ОПЗЖ не брали командировок для поездки в Москву - аппарат Рады). Ukrinform. 11 March 2020
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