The United Civic Party (UCP; be, Аб'яднаная грамадзянская партыя; АГП, Abjadnanaja hramadzianskaja partyja; AHP; russian: Объединённая гражданская партия; ОГП, Obyedinonnaya grazhdanskaya partiya; OGP) is a
liberal-conservative
Liberal conservatism is a political ideology combining conservative policies with liberal stances, especially on economic issues but also on social and ethical matters, representing a brand of political conservatism strongly influenced by libe ...
and
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or p ...
in
Belarus
Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
. The party opposes the government of
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (as transliterated from Russian; also transliterated from Belarusian as Alyaksand(a)r Ryhoravich Lukashenka;, ; rus, Александр Григорьевич Лукашенко, Aleksandr Grigoryevich Luk ...
and has participated in the country's elections on a few occasions, but it did not have a single member in the Belarusian parliament until one member was elected during the
2016 elections
The following elections occurred in the year 2016.
Africa
Benin Republic
* 2016 Beninese presidential election 6 March 2016
Cape Verde
* 2016 Cape Verdean presidential election 2 October 2016
Chad
* 2016 Chadian presidential election 1 ...
. It claims that its lack of seats is due to the unfairness of the election process.
Famous party members are former Prime Minister Michaił Čyhir, the mysteriously disappeared politicians
Jury Zacharanka
Colonel Yury Zakharanka ( Belarusian: ''Юрый Захаранка'', Russian: ''Юрий Захаренко'', ''Yuri Zakharenko''; January 1, 1952 – 1999) was the Belarusian Minister of Internal Affairs and opposition politician abducted ...
Hienadź Karpienka
Dr. Hienadź Karpienka ( be, Генадзь Карпенка, ; russian: Геннадий Карпенко, Gennady Karpenko, September 17, 1949 – April 6, 1999) was a Belarusian scientist and an important politician in opposition to president Al ...
, who died prematurely.
History
The party was established in 1995 as a result of a merger of two like-minded parties, the ''United Democratic Party'' (formed in 1990) and the '' Civil Party'' (formed in 1994). The party's chairman is Mikałaj Kazłoŭ; deputy chairmen are Alaksandar Dabravolski and Jarasłaŭ Ramančuk.
At the legislative elections, 13–17 October 2004, the party was part of the
People's Coalition 5 Plus
The People's Coalition 5 Plus (''Narodnaja Kaalicyja Piaciorka Plus'') was a political alliance in Belarus, that opposed the regime of president Alexander Lukashenko.
At the legislative elections, 13–17 October 2004, the alliance won no seats. ...
, which did not secure any seats. According to the
OSCE
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, prom ...
/ODIHR Election Observation Mission, these elections fell significantly short of OSCE commitments. Universal principles and constitutionally guaranteed rights of expression, association and assembly were seriously challenged, calling into question the Belarusian authorities’ willingness to respect the concept of political competition on a basis of equal treatment. According to this mission principles of an inclusive democratic process, whereby citizens have the right to seek political office without discrimination, candidates to present their views without obstruction, and voters to learn about them and discuss them freely, were largely ignored.
In the 2008 elections, the party ran on its own, finishing in third place with 2.33 percent of the official vote and no seats gained. As with most of the opposition parties, the UCP boycotted the
2012 election
This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*3–4 January: ...
, urging its supporters to abstain from voting as to not give credence to the process.
For the
2016 elections
The following elections occurred in the year 2016.
Africa
Benin Republic
* 2016 Beninese presidential election 6 March 2016
Cape Verde
* 2016 Cape Verdean presidential election 2 October 2016
Chad
* 2016 Chadian presidential election 1 ...
, the party formed an alliance with the
BPF Party
The BPF Party ( be, Партыя БНФ, Partyja BNF; russian: Партия БНФ, Partiya BNF) is a political party in Belarus. It was de facto established after the split of the social movement Belarusian Popular Front ( abbr. BPF; be, Бел ...
, the
Belarusian Christian Democracy
The Belarusian Christian Democracy ( be, Беларуская хрысьціянская дэмакратыя, Bielaruskaja chryścijanskaja demakratyja; russian: Белорусская христианская демократия, Belorusskaya ...
Green Party
A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence.
Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...
, the BLPFP, the Trade Union of Electric Industry and independent candidates.About Prava Vybaru Party candidate Hanna Kanapackaja won a seat in the 97th electoral district in the Kastryčnickaja district of Minsk, making her and one other independent candidate the first opposition MPs represented in parliament since 2004. The party didn't win any seats in the
2019 Belarusian parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in Belarus on 17 November 2019.parliamentary elections of 2000, when the UCP boycotted it against the wishes of Civil Forum. Uładzimier Navasiad, chairman of Civil Forum, ran and won a seat in Parliament.
In 2000, the youth organisation was "UCP Youth", created to replace Civil Forum, but was rather an artificial structure in the party.
From later that year until 2009,
YCSU Young Democrats
The Youth Christian Social Union – Young Democrats, often shortened to the YCSU Young Democrats ( be, МХСЗ Маладыя дэмакраты, MChSZ Maładyja demakraty) is a Christian democratic youth organisation from Belarus. Since 2004 ...
was officially a youth wing of UCP, but in February 2009 at the congress of YCSU Young Democrats, a decision to stop cooperating with the party was taken. Some members did not support the decision to restrain cooperation with United Civic Party and left, staying as UCP Youth.