Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko ( uk, Віктор Андрійович Ющенко, ; born 23 February 1954) is a Ukrainian politician who was the third

president of Ukraine The president of Ukraine ( uk, Президент України, Prezydent Ukrainy) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, cond ...

from 23 January 2005 to 25 February 2010. As an informal leader of the Ukrainian opposition coalition, he was one of the two main candidates in the

2004 Ukrainian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Ukraine on 31 October, 21 November and 26 December 2004. The election was the fourth presidential election to take place in Ukraine following independence from the Soviet Union. The last stages of the electi ...

. Yushchenko won the presidency through a repeat runoff election between him and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. The Ukrainian Supreme Court called for the runoff election to be repeated because of widespread electoral fraud in favor of Yanukovych in the original vote. Yushchenko won in the revote (52% to 44%). Public protests prompted by the electoral fraud played a major role in that presidential election and led to Ukraine's Orange Revolution. Following an assassination attempt in late 2004 during his election campaign, Yushchenko was confirmed to have ingested hazardous amounts of

2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzodioxin 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-''p-''dioxin (TCDD) is a polychlorinated dibenzo''-p-''dioxin (sometimes shortened, though inaccurately, to simply 'dioxin')Tuomisto, Jouko (2019) Dioxins and dioxin-like compounds: toxicity in humans and animals, s ...

(TCDD), the most potent dioxin and a contaminant in

Agent Orange Agent Orange is a chemical herbicide and defoliant, one of the "tactical use" Rainbow Herbicides. It was used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971. It ...

. He suffered disfigurement as a result of the poisoning, but has since made a full recovery. Before his election as president, Yushchenko had already had a career in Ukrainian politics. In 1993, he became governor of the National Bank of Ukraine. From 1999 to 2001 he was prime minister. After his dismissal as prime minister, Yushchenko went into opposition to President Leonid Kuchma and he founded the Our Ukraine bloc, which at the 2002 parliamentary election became Ukraine's most popular political force, with 23.57% of the votes. After Yushchenko's election in 2004 to the presidency, this alliance was unable to continue this success, garnering only 13.95% of the votes in 2006 and 14.15% of the votes in the 2007 parliamentary election. Yushchenko failed to secure a run-off spot during the

2010 Ukrainian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Ukraine on 17 January 2010. As no candidate received a majority of the vote, a run-off election was held between Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych on 7 February. On 14 ...

; gaining 5.5% of the vote. During the

2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election The Ukrainian parliamentary election of 2012 took place on 28 October 2012.Our Ukraine. The party won 1.11% of the national votes and no

constituencies An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...

, and thus failed to win parliamentary representation.

Early life

Yushchenko was born on 23 February 1954, in

Khoruzhivka Khoruzhivka ( uk, Хорýжівка, russian: Хорýжевка) is a village located in Sumy Oblast in northern Ukraine. It lies 111 meters (367 ft) above sea level. Viktor Yushchenko, the third President of Ukraine and opposition candida ...

, Sumy Oblast,

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

, Soviet Union, into a family of teachers. His father, Andriy Andriyovych Yushchenko (1919–1992) fought in the Second World War, was captured by German forces and imprisoned as a POW in a series of

concentration camps Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simp ...

in the German Reich, including

Auschwitz-Birkenau Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed int ...

. His father survived the ordeal, and after returning home taught English at a local school. Viktor's mother, Varvara Tymofiyovna Yushchenko (1918–2005), taught physics and mathematics at the same school. The Sumy Oblast region where he was born is predominantly Ukrainian-speaking, and this differentiated him in later life from his political counterparts, for whom Russian was the mother tongue. Yushchenko graduated from the Ternopil Finance and Economics Institute in 1975. He began work as an accountant, as a deputy to the chief accountant in a kolkhoz. From 1975 to 1976, he served as a

conscript Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

in the

Transcaucasian Military District The Transcaucasian Military District, a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, traces its history to May 1921 and the incorporation of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia into the Soviet Union. It was disbanded by being redesignated as a Gr ...

on the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

– Turkish border.

Central banker

In 1976, Yushchenko began a career in banking. In 1983, he became the Deputy Director for Agricultural Credit at the Ukrainian Republican Office of the Soviet Union State Bank. From 1990 to 1993, he worked as vice-chairman and first vice-chairman of the JSC Agroindustrial Bank ''Ukraina''. In 1993, he was appointed Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine (Ukraine's

central bank A central bank, reserve bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the currency and monetary policy of a country or monetary union, and oversees their commercial banking system. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central ba ...

). In 1997, Verkhovna Rada, the parliament of Ukraine, re-appointed him. As a central banker, Yushchenko played an important part in the creation of Ukraine's national currency, the

hryvnia The or ( ; uk, гривня , : ''hrn''; sign: ₴; code: UAH) has been the national currency of Ukraine since 2 September 1996. The hryvnia is divided into 100 . It is named after a measure of weight used in medieval Kievan Rus'. Name Ety ...

, and the establishment of a modern regulatory system for commercial banking. He also successfully overcame a debilitating wave of

hyper-inflation In economics, hyperinflation is a very high and typically accelerating inflation. It quickly erodes the real value of the local currency, as the prices of all goods increase. This causes people to minimize their holdings in that currency as ...

that hit the country—he brought inflation down from more than 10,000 percent to less than 10 percent—and managed to defend the value of the currency following the

1998 Russian financial crisis The Russian financial crisis (also called the ruble crisis or the Russian flu) began in Russia on 17 August 1998. It resulted in the Russian government and the Russian Central Bank devaluing the ruble and defaulting on its debt. The crisis had s ...

. In 1998, he wrote a thesis entitled "The Development of Supply and Demand of Money in Ukraine" and defended it in the Ukrainian Academy of Banking. He thereby earned a doctorate in economics.

Prime minister

In December 1999, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma unexpectedly nominated Yushchenko to be the prime minister after the parliament failed by one vote to ratify the previous candidate, Valeriy Pustovoytenko. Ukraine's economy improved during Yushchenko's cabinet service. However, his government, particularly Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, soon became embroiled in a confrontation with influential leaders of the

coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron fro ...

and

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbon di ...

industries. The conflict resulted in a no-confidence vote by the parliament on 26 April 2001, orchestrated by the

Communist Party of Ukraine The Communist Party of Ukraine, Abbreviation: KPU, from Ukrainian and Russian "" is a banned political party in Ukraine. It was founded in 1993 as the successor to the Soviet-era Communist Party of Ukraine which was banned in 1991 (accordi ...

, who opposed Yushchenko's economic policies, and by centrist groups associated with the country's powerful " oligarchs." The vote passed 263 to 187 and resulted in Yushchenko's removal from office.

"Our Ukraine" leader

In 2002, Yushchenko became the leader of the '' Our Ukraine'' (''Nasha Ukrayina'') political coalition, which received a plurality of

seats A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair, a chair e ...

in the year's

parliamentary election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

. However, the number of seats won was not a majority, and efforts to form a majority coalition with other opposition parties failed. Since then, Yushchenko has remained the leader and public face of the Our Ukraine parliamentary faction. In 2001, both Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko broached at creating a broad opposition bloc against the incumbent

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Leonid Kuchma in order to win the Ukrainian presidential election 2004. In late 2002 Yushchenko, Oleksandr Moroz ( Socialist Party of Ukraine), Petro Symonenko (Communist Party of Ukraine) and Yulia Tymoshenko (

Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc ( uk, Блок Юлії Тимошенко, БЮТ; Blok Yuliyi Tymoshenko, BYuT) was the name of the bloc of political parties in Ukraine led by Yulia Tymoshenko since 2001. In November 2011, the participation of bloc ...

) issued a joint statement concerning "the beginning of a state revolution in Ukraine". Though the communists stepped out of the alliance and though Symonenko opposed having one single candidate from the alliance in the 2004 presidential election, the other three parties remained alliesUnderstanding Ukrainian Politics: Power, Politics, and Institutional Design
by

Paul D'Anieri Paul J. D'Anieri is Professor of Public Policy and Political Science and former Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost of University of California, Riverside. Prior to his position at the UCR, Dr. D'Anieri served as the dean of the University of Flor ...

M.E. Sharpe M. E. Sharpe, Inc., an academic publisher, was founded by Myron Sharpe in 1958 with the original purpose of publishing translations from Russian in the social sciences and humanities. These translations were published in a series of journals, the ...

, 2006, ; , page 117 until July 2006.Ukraine coalition born in chaos
BBC News (11 July 2006) On 2 July 2004, Our Ukraine and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc established the ''Force of the people'', a coalition which aimed to stop "the destructive process that has, as a result of the

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-el ...

authorities, become a characteristic for Ukraine", at the time President Kuchma and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych were the incumbent authorities in Ukraine. The pact included a promise by Yushchenko to nominate Tymoshenko as Prime Minister if he won the October 2004 presidential election.''Revolution in Orange: The Origins of Ukraine's Democratic Breakthrough''
by

Anders Aslund Anders is a male name in Scandinavian languages and Fering North Frisian, an equivalent of the Greek Andreas ("manly") and the English Andrew. It originated from Andres via metathesis. In Sweden, Anders has been one of the most common names fo ...

and

Michael A. McFaul Michael Anthony McFaul (born October 1, 1963) is an American academic and diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014. McFaul is currently the Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor in International Studi ...

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is a nonpartisan international affairs think tank headquartered in Washington D.C. with operations in Europe, South and East Asia, and the Middle East as well as the United States. Founded in ...

, 2006, ; Yushchenko was widely regarded as the moderate political leader of the anti-Kuchma opposition, since other opposition parties were less influential and had fewer seats in parliament. Since becoming President of Ukraine in 2005, he has been an honorary leader of the '' Our Ukraine'' party. From 2001 to 2004, his rankings in popularity polls were higher than those of President Leonid Kuchma. In later public opinion polls, though, his support plummeted from a high of 52% following his election in 2004 to below 4%.Socis Poll: "25% Of Ukrainians Prepared To Support Yanukovych For President, 20.5% To Vote For Tymoshenko"
, ''Ukrainian News'' (17 August 2009) However, in the parliamentary elections of March 2006, the Our Ukraine party, led by Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov, received less than 14% of the national vote, taking third place behind the Party of Regions and the

. In a poll by the Sofia Social Research Centre between 27 July and 7 August 2007 more than 52% of those polled said they distrusted Yushchenko while 48% said they trusted him.

Presidential election of 2004

Ukraine elections demonstration brussels 20041128

In 2004, as President Kuchma's term came to an end, Yushchenko announced his candidacy for president as an independent. His major rival was Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. Since his term as prime minister, Yushchenko had slightly modernized his political platform, adding social partnership and other

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 ...

slogans to older ideas of

European integration European integration is the process of industrial, economic, political, legal, social, and cultural integration of states wholly or partially in Europe or nearby. European integration has primarily come about through the European Union and it ...

, including Ukraine's joining NATO and fighting

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

. Supporters of Yushchenko were organized in the "Syla Narodu" ("Power to the People") electoral coalition, which he and his political allies led, with the Our Ukraine coalition as the main constituent force. Yushchenko built his campaign on face-to-face communication with

voter Voting is a method by which a group, such as a meeting or an electorate, can engage for the purpose of making a collective decision or expressing an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election campaigns. Democracies elect holde ...

s, since the government prevented most major TV channels from providing equal coverage to candidates. Requests from Administration of President Kuchma to media. Meanwhile, his rival, Yanukovych, frequently appeared in the news and even accused Yushchenko, whose father was a Red Army soldier imprisoned at

Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It co ...

, of being "a Nazi," even though Yushchenko actively reached out to the Jewish community in Ukraine and his mother is said to have risked her life by hiding three Jewish girls for one and a half years during the Second World War.The Jewish card in Russian operations against Ukraine
Kyiv Post (30 June 2009)

TCDD poisoning

Yushchenko became seriously ill in early September 2004. He was flown to Vienna's Rudolfinerhaus clinic for treatment and diagnosed with

acute pancreatitis Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas. Causes in order of frequency include: 1) a gallstone impacted in the common bile duct beyond the point where the pancreatic duct joins it; 2) heavy alcohol use; 3) systemic diseas ...

, accompanied by interstitial edematous changes, due to a serious viral infection and chemical substances that are not normally found in food products. Yushchenko claimed that he had been poisoned by government agents. After the illness, his face was greatly disfigured:

jaundice Jaundice, also known as icterus, is a yellowish or greenish pigmentation of the skin and sclera due to high bilirubin levels. Jaundice in adults is typically a sign indicating the presence of underlying diseases involving abnormal heme meta ...

d, bloated, and pockmarked. British

toxicologist Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating expos ...

Professor John Henry of St Mary's Hospital in London declared the changes in Yushchenko's face were due to

chloracne Chloracne is an acne-like eruption of blackheads, cysts, and pustules associated with exposure to certain halogenated aromatic compounds, such as chlorinated dioxins and dibenzofurans. The lesions are most frequently found on the cheeks, behind ...

, which results from dioxin poisoning. Dutch toxicologist Bram Brouwer also stated his changes in appearance were the result of chloracne, and found dioxin levels in Yushchenko's blood 6,000 times above normal. On 11 December, Dr. Michael Zimpfer of the Rudolfinerhaus clinic declared that Yushchenko had ingested TCDD dioxin and had 1,000 times the usual concentration in his body. Many have linked Yushchenko's poisoning to a dinner with a group of senior Ukrainian officials (including Volodymyr Satsyuk) that took place on 5 September. Since 2005, Yushchenko has been treated by a team of doctors led by Professor Jean Saurat at the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centur ...

Hospital. Analysis of Yushchenko's body fluids and tissues provided useful information on the human toxicokinetics of TCDD and its metabolites. Yushchenko himself implicated

Davyd Zhvania Davyd Vazhayevych Zhvania ( uk, Давид Важаєвич Жванія; ka, დავით ვაჟას ძე ჟვანია; 20 July 1967 – 9 May 2022)

, the godfather of one of his children, of involvement in his dioxin poisoning. In August 2009, '' The Lancet'' published a scientific paper by Swiss and Ukrainian researchers on the monitoring, form, distribution, and elimination of

(TCDD) in Yushchenko in relation to his severe poisoning. The 2004 TCDD levels in Yushchenko's blood serum were 50,000-fold greater than those in the general population. This new study also concluded that the dioxin "was so pure that it was definitely made in a laboratory".Associated Press: Study: Dioxin that poisoned Yushchenko made in lab
On 27 September 2009, Yushchenko said in an interview aired on

Channel 1+1 Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...

that the testimony of three men who were at a dinner in 2004 at which he believes he was poisoned is crucial to finishing the investigation, and he claimed these men were in Russia. Ukrainian prosecutors said Russia has refused to extradite one of the men, the former deputy chief of Ukraine's security service, Volodymyr Satsyuk, because he holds both

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries * Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and p ...

and

Ukrainian citizenship Ukrainian nationality law details the conditions by which a person holds nationality of Ukraine. The primary law governing these requirements is the law "On Citizenship of Ukraine", which came into force on 1 March 2001. Any person born to a U ...

. Satsyuk returned to Ukraine in 2012 and tried to relaunch his political career, but didn't succeed.

Presidency

Inauguration

At 12 pm ( Kyiv time) on 23 January 2005 the inauguration of Yushchenko as the

President of Ukraine The president of Ukraine ( uk, Президент України, Prezydent Ukrainy) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, cond ...

took place. The event was attended by numerous foreign dignitaries.Yushchenko woos sceptical Russia
BBC News (24 January 2005)

Presidency

The first 100 days of Yushchenko's term, 23 January 2005 through 1 May 2005, were marked by numerous dismissals and appointments at all levels of the executive branch. He appointed Yulia Tymoshenko as Prime Minister and the appointment was ratified by parliament. Oleksandr Zinchenko was appointed the head of the presidential secretariat with a nominal title of Secretary of State. Petro Poroshenko, a fierce competitor of Tymoshenko for the post of Prime Minister, was appointed Secretary of the Security and Defense Council. May 2005 saw Ukraine host the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pri ...

in the capital of Kyiv. Some accused Yushchenko of attempting to gain political capital from the event, with his appearance on stage at the end criticised as 'undignified' by certain commentators. During 2005, Yushchenko was in confident mood, making such pledges as solving the Gongadze case to the removal of Russia's

Black Sea Fleet Chernomorskiy flot , image = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet , dates = May 13, ...

. In August 2005, Yushchenko joined with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in signing the

Borjomi Declaration Borjomi ( ka, ბორჯომი) is a resort town in south-central Georgia, 160 km from Tbilisi, with a population of 11,122 (2021). It is one of the municipalities of the Samtskhe–Javakheti region and is situated in the northwestern p ...

, which called for the creation of an institution of international cooperation, the

Community of Democratic Choice The Community of Democratic Choice is an intergovernmental organization established on 2 December 2005, by nine states of Northern, Central and Eastern Europe in Kyiv, Ukraine. It was mainly signed by countries from the region between the Balt ...

, to bring together the democracies and incipient democracies in the region around the Baltic, Black, and Caspian Seas. The first meeting of presidents and leaders to discuss the CDC took place on 1–2 December 2005 in Kyiv. According to former

Security Service of Ukraine The Security Service of Ukraine ( uk, Служба безпеки України, translit=Sluzhba bezpeky Ukrainy}) or SBU ( uk, СБУ, link=no) is the law enforcement authority and main intelligence and security agency of the Ukrainian ...

Chairman

Oleksandr Turchynov Oleksandr Valentynovych Turchynov ( uk, Олександр Валентинович Турчинов; born 31 March 1964) is a Ukrainian politician, screenwriter, Baptist minister and economist. He is the former Secretary of the National Se ...

, Yushchenko prevented in the summer of 2005 an investigation into allegedly fraudulent practices in the transport of Turkmen

to Ukraine and the arrest of Yuri Boyko for

abuse of office Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other t ...

while heading

Naftogaz Naftogaz of Ukraine ( uk, НАК "Нафтогаз України", ''Naftogaz Ukrayiny''; literally "Petro-Gas of Ukraine") is the largest national oil and gas company of Ukraine. It is a state-owned company

.Gas Lobby Takes Control of Ukrains Secret Service
by Taras Kuzio (18 March 2010)Ukraine: Battle Against Corruption Grinds To A Halt
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (26 September 2005)

Dismissal of other Orange Revolution members

On 8 September 2005, Yushchenko fired his government, led by Yulia Tymoshenko, after resignations and claims of corruption. On 9 September, acting Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov tried to form a new government.Ukraine leader to build new team
9 September 2005 His first attempt, on 20 September, fell short by 3 votes of the necessary 226, but on 22 September the parliament ratified his government with 289 votes. Also in September 2005, former president Leonid Kravchuk accused exiled Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky of financing Yushchenko's presidential election campaign, and provided copies of documents showing money transfers from companies he said were controlled by Berezovsky to companies controlled by Yushchenko's official backers. Berezovsky confirmed that he met Yushchenko's representatives in London before the election, and that the money was transferred from his companies, but he refused to confirm or deny that the money was used in Yushchenko's campaign. Financing of election campaigns by foreign citizens is illegal in Ukraine. In August 2006, Yushchenko appointed his onetime opponent in the presidential race, Viktor Yanukovych, to be the new Prime Minister. This was generally regarded as indicating a rapprochement with Russia.Ukraine comeback kid in new deal
4 August 2006

First dissolution of Parliament

On 2 April 2007, Yushchenko signed an order to dissolve the parliament and call early elections. Some consider the dissolution order illegal because none of the conditions spelled out under Article 90 of the

Constitution of Ukraine The Constitution of Ukraine ( uk, Конституція України, translit=Konstytutsiia Ukrainy) is the fundamental law of Ukraine. The constitution was adopted and ratified at the 5th session of the ''Verkhovna Rada'', the parliament ...

for the president to dissolve the legislature had been met. Yushchenko's detractors argued that he was attempting to usurp the functions of the

Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...

by claiming constitutional violations by the parliament as a pretext for his action. The parliament appealed the Constitutional Court itself and promised to abide by its ruling. In the meantime, the parliament continued to meet and banned the financing of any new election pending the Constitutional Court's decision. Competing protests took place and the crisis escalated. In May 2007, Yushchenko illegally dismissed three members of Ukraine's Constitutional Court, thus preventing the court from ruling on the constitutionality of his decree dismissing Ukraine's parliament.

Second dissolution of Parliament (2007) and conflict with Tymoshenko (2008–2009)

Flickr - europeanpeoplesparty - EPP Summit 19 March 2009 (86)

Yushchenko again tried to dissolve the parliament on 9 October 2008 by announcing parliamentary elections to be held on 7 December. Yushchenko's decree was suspended and subsequently lapsed. Yushchenko in defense of his actions said, "I am deeply convinced that the democratic coalition was ruined by one thing alone—human ambition. The ambition of one person." Political groups including members of his own Our Ukraine party contested the election decree and politicians vowed to challenge it in the courts.Ukraine's president sets date for new election
/ref> In December 2008, following a back room revolt from members of Our Ukraine-Peoples' Self Defense Party a revised coalition was formed between members of Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc (OU-PSD), the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT), and the

Lytvyn Bloc The Lytvyn Bloc, formerly Lytvyn's People's Bloc, ( uk, Блок Литвина, formerly Народний блок Литвина) was a centrist political alliance in Ukraine from 2006 till 2012 led by Volodymyr Lytvyn. It is one of successors o ...

(LB), increasing the size of the governing coalition by an additional 20 members. Yushchenko in responding to journalists questions claimed "The fact is that the so-called coalition was formed on basis of political corruption, this coalition will be able to work only if the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

will join it. Speaking about such a type of coalition, it is even more shameful." Yushchenko also stated that Tymoshenko's desire to keep her job as Prime Minister was the main motive for creating the coalition and that he wanted to expel the OU-PSD lawmakers who supported the creation of the coalition from the list of members of parliament.Yushchenko wants to expel lawmakers who supported coalition
UNIAN (17 December 2008)Yuschenko Advocates Expulsion Of Our Ukraine People's Union MPs That Support Coalition
, Ukrainian News Agency (17 December 2008) Yushchenko claimed (19 March 2009) that his conflicts with Tymoshenko are not due to personal differences, but to the incompleteness of the constitutional reforms of 2004.Yuschenko describes his relations with Tymoshenko an internal affair
, Interfax-Ukraine (29 March 2009) On 23 July 2009, under the terms of Ukraine's

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princi ...

the president cannot dismiss the parliament within six months from the expiration of his five-year term of authority, which ended on 23 January 2010.

2010 presidential election and later career

2010 presidential election

Ukraine Presidential Jan 2010 Vote (Yushchenko)

On 10 November 2009, Yushchenko was nominated for a second term as

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

, with the election to be held on 17 January 2010. In late November 2009, he stated he was going to leave politics after his possible second term.Panorama: Yushchenko will leave politics after second term
Kyiv Post (28 November 2009) During the campaign, Yushchenko claimed that his fellow candidates "

Tymoshenko Tymoshenko ( uk, Тимошенко, translit=Tymošenko), Timoshenko (russian: Тимошенко), or Tsimashenka/Cimašenka ( be, Цімашэнка) is a surname of Ukrainian origin. It derives from the Christian name Timothy, and its Ukraini ...

and Yanukovych are not ideologists who care about the fate of Ukraine and its interests. They are two political adventurers" and that Ukraine's independence and sovereignty were at the time more jeopardized than five to ten years earlier.Yushchenko: Ukraine's independence, sovereignty currently jeopardized
Kyiv Post (21 November 2009) The first round of the elections took place on 17 January 2010, and Yushchenko dropped to a distant fifth place with only 5.45% of the vote.TABLE-Ukraine's presidential election results
Kyiv Post (18 January 2010)Central Election Commission Candidate Results
, CEC Ukraine (19 January 2010) His result became the worst result for any sitting president.Кому достанется трезубец
// Trud, 19 January 2010 Yushchenko stated that he wanted to continue to defend democracy in UkraineUpdate: Yushchenko does not plan to quit politics
Kyiv Post (20 January 2010) and that he wanted to return to the presidency.Yushchenko says he's quitting presidential post in order to return
'' Kyiv Post'', 22 January 2010 On 22 January 2010, as outgoing

, Yushchenko officially rehabilitated one of Ukraine's most controversial figures from the era of World War II, the ultranationalist leader Stepan Bandera, awarding him the title of

Hero of Ukraine Hero of Ukraine (HOU; uk, Герой України, ''Heroi Ukrainy'') is the highest national title that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the President of Ukraine. The title was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma and as ...

. The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists even set up multinational assemblies of the occupied peoples of the Soviet Union in which more than 12 Soviet republics were represented, such as Kazakhstan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Russia and others. Yushchenko's decision immediately caused an uproar and was condemned by the European Parliament and Russian, Polish, and Jewish organizationsWiesenthal Center Blasts Ukrainian Honor For Nazi Collaborator
, Simon Wiesenthal Center (28 January 2010)Ukraine: l'UEJF condamne la glorification d'un complice des nazis
Student Union of French Jews, (1 February 2010) and was declared illegal by the following Ukrainian government and a court decision in April 2010. In January 2011, the award was officially annulled.
, President.gov.ua. Retrieved 16 January 2011. In the second round of Ukraine's presidential election, Yushchenko did not support either of the candidates,

Victor Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych ( uk, Віктор Федорович Янукович, ; ; born 9 July 1950) is a former politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 until he was removed from office in the Revolution of Di ...

or Yulia Tymoshenko.Yushchenko not to support either candidate in runoff
Kyiv Post (23 January 2010) Yushchenko attributed his low popularity ratings to his adherence to his principles.Yushchenko attributes his low popularity ratings to adherence to his principles
Kyiv Post (28 November 2009) "Ukraine is a European democratic country", Yushchenko said at the polling station. "It is a free nation and free people."Ukraine. Farewell to the Orange Revolution
EuropaRussia (19 January 2010) In the following days, he said that "Ukraine doesn’t have a decent choice" for his replacement. "Both candidates are alienated from national, European, and democratic values. I don’t see a principal difference between them." However, his low approval ratings may also be attributable to his tacit support for his former adversary Yanukovych between rounds one and two. Yushchenko removed the Kharkiv and Dniproptrovsk governors, who had expressed support for Tymoshenko and had refused to provide administrative resources for Yanukovych's campaign. Yushchenko didn't attend the inauguration ceremony of President Yanukovych.Half-empty chamber greets Ukraine's new president
Kyiv Post (25 February 2010) On 10 March 2010, Yushchenko indicated his future plans would largely depend on Yanukovych's performance.Yushchenko jumps back into political fray, visiting relatively friendly territory in Lviv
Kyiv Post (11 March 2010) A day earlier, Yushchenko's former ally turned rival, Yulia Tymoshenko, took up the mantle as leader of the democratic opposition. But Yushchenko warned that her leadership would end in disaster, noting, " ery political force that united with Tymoshenko ended badly." On 31 May 2010 Yushchenko stated that Yulia Tymoshenko was his "worst mistake": "The most serious mistake was to give power to her twice".Yushchenko told about his 'worst mistake'
Kyiv Post (31 May 2010)

Later career including 2012 parliamentary elections

On 18 April 2010, Yushchenko and his wife (along with President Yanukovych and former Prime Minister Tymoshenko) journeyed to Poland to attend the

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...

Lech Kaczyński in Kraków. Due to the widespread air disruptions in Europe due to the eruptions in Iceland, the Yushchenkos journeyed by car from Kyiv. Yushchenko testified against his former ally Yulia Tymoshenko during her trial over a 2009 natural gas treaty she brokered with Russia; a trial he called "a normal judicial process".Ukraine Retreats to a Dark Past
Der Spiegel (18 October 2011) Yushchenko's view differed from that of the European Union's (EU) foreign policy chief

Catherine Ashton Catherine Margaret Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, (born 20 March 1956), is a British Labour politician who served as the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and First Vice President of the Europe ...

, who said in a statement the Tymoshenko verdict showed justice was being applied "selectively in politically motivated prosecutions".Ukraine ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko jailed over gas deal
BBC News (11 October 2011) Late September 2011 Yushchenko stated he intended to run for parliament on an Our Ukraine party ticket at the

2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election The Ukrainian parliamentary election of 2012 took place on 28 October 2012.united opposition, but not in a majority constituency. In these election Yushchenko headed the election list of Our Ukraine;"Наша Україна" хоче бути альтернативою усім учасникам виборів ''"Our Ukraine" wants to be an alternative to all election participants ''
BBC Ukrainian (31 July 2012) the party won 1.11% of the national votes and no

and thus failed to win parliamentary representation.Proportional votes

,

Central Election Commission of Ukraine The Central Election Commission of Ukraine ( uk, Центральна виборча комісія України, commonly abbreviated in Ukrainian as ЦВК (''Tse-Ve-Ka''); sometimes referred to as the Central Electoral Commission of Ukrai ...

In February 2013 Yushchenko intended to be a candidate during the next presidential election (at the time scheduled to be in 2015).

Euromaidan and 2014 election

In an interview with the French radio station Europe 1 in March 2014, Yushchenko stated that he supported the Euromaidan protests and opposed the Russian invasion in Crimea, noting that in his view "

Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

dreams of reconstructing the Soviet empire under the name of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...

. He is so obsessed with this that he hasn't understood power balance." He further stated that "

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a po ...

isn't Russian; rather it is Ukrainian". With regard to the 2014 presidential election, Yushchenko indicated his support for Vitali Klitschko, and described

as "the candidate of Moscow".Viktor Iouchtchenko: "Poutine veut une nouvelle URSS"
Europe 1 (5 March 2014)
Yushchenko himself did not stand as a candidate in these elections.Twenty-three candidates to run for Ukraine's presidency
Interfax-Ukraine (3 April 2014)

Political positions

Wiktor Juschtschenko, Präsident der Ukraine, im Widenmoos

On 31 March 2009, in his address to the nation before Parliament, Yushchenko proposed sweeping government reform changes and an economic and social plan to ameliorate current economic conditions in Ukraine and apparently to respond to standing structural problems in Ukraine's political system. The proposal, which Yushchenko called a 'next big step forward for fairness and prosperity in Ukraine' included the following proposals:, Viktor Yushchenko elections website * Restore financial stability in the country by implementing the International Monetary Fund reforms and a balanced budget * Abolish parliamentary immunity * Fair pension system based on the number of years of work and salary received * Pass a realistic state budget for 2009 that reduces inflation and stabilizes the

* Have the state assume responsibility for struggling banks * Rejuvenate rural areas by eliminating state interference in agriculture production * Promote Ukrainian products abroad to increase sales for Ukraine's producers * European Union membership and increased trade while simultaneously improving relations and trade with Russia * Allow voters to elect members of parliament from the areas where they live * Open up

party lists An electoral list is a grouping of candidates for election, usually found in proportional or mixed electoral systems, but also in some plurality electoral systems. An electoral list can be registered by a political party (a party list) or can ...

for both parliamentary and local elections * Create

bicameral parliament Bicameralism is a type of legislature, one divided into two separate assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate and vote as a single gro ...

to bring stability to the

legislative branch A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as ...

* Reduce the number of members of parliament Yushchenko also advocates NATO membership for UkraineYushchenko: Ukraine has every chances to be European Union member
Kyiv Post (16 October 2009) and is against promoting Russian as the second state language in Ukraine.'The Problems Began After the Orange Revolution'

Spiegel Online ''Der Spiegel (online)'' is a German news website. Before the renaming in January 2020, the website's name was ''Spiegel Online'' (short ''SPON''). It was founded in 1994 as the online offshoot of the German news magazine, ''Der Spiegel'', wit ...

(9 July 2009) According to Yushchenko, a good future for the country is impossible without national unity.Yuschenko says good future for Ukraine impossible without national unity, reconciliation
, Interfax-Ukraine (14 October 2009) Yushchenko also advocates the formation of a single

Orthodox Church of Ukraine The Orthodox Church of Ukraine ( uk, Православна церква України, Pravoslavna tserkva Ukrainy; OCU) is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church whose canonical territory is Ukraine. The church was united at the uni ...

, thus unifying the current three branches of the Orthodox church in Ukraine (the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate, the only one recognized by the world orthodox community, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate and the

Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC; uk, Українська автокефальна православна церква (УАПЦ), Ukrayinska avtokefalna pravoslavna tserkva (UAPC)) was one of the three major Eastern Orthod ...

). Actions by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army have been praised by Yushchenko, and he has tried to give anti-

partisans who fought in World War II the status of war veterans. According to Yushchenko the difficulties of relations between Ukraine and Russia are because the countries follow different directions and have different system of values.Yushchenko: in case of victory of Yanukovych or Tymoshenko, all we to sing Murka
UNIAN (23 December 2009) Yushchenko thinks that "the Russia-Georgia war of August 2008 poses a threat that European leaders still haven’t addressed". He has called for a

demarcation Demarcation is the act of creating a boundary around a place or thing. Demarcation may also refer to: *Demarcation line, a temporary border between the countries *Demarcation problem, the question of which practices of doing science permit the re ...

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ca ...

s between Russia and Ukraine, which has been delayed by Russia since Ukraine won independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.Yushchenko Warns Obama of Russia’s Post-Georgia Security Threat

Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to: People * Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer * Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian * Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician and ...

(20 September 2009) During the campaign for the Ukrainian presidential election, 2010 Yushchenko said Russia's influence was again a factor in the upcoming election and warned of "interference" from Moscow in the distribution of

Russian passport The Russian passport (russian: Заграничный паспорт гражданина Российской Федерации, Zagranichnyy pasport grazhdanina Rossiyskoy Federatsii, Transborder passport of a citizen of the Russian Federati ...

s to residents of

.Monday Morning: Yushchenko says NATO needed to safeguard independence
Kyiv Post (28 September 2009) He stated (on 10 December 2009) "Russia is a friendly country and that it would be a great mistake for Ukraine to lose these relations or to slow down their development; I believe that there will appear politicians in Russia, who will respect the rights of all neighbors, including Ukraine".Yushchenko: Politicians respecting Ukraine's rights will appear in Russia
Kyiv Post (10 December 2009) Yushchenko's 2010 presidential election program promised visa-free travel with EU, the withdrawal of the

Black Sea Fleet Chernomorskiy flot , image = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet , dates = May 13, ...

of the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...

by 2017 and "an active dialogue with all of Ukraine's neighbours based on the principles of equal rights, good neighbourly relations and mutual trust", but did not mention NATO membership.Yuschenko's election platform promises visa-free travel with EU, not mentioning NATO membership
Kyiv Post (23 November 2009) Yushchenko also believed that the

2008–2009 Ukrainian financial crisis Ukraine was hit heavily by the Great Recession, the World Bank expected Ukraine's economy to shrink 15% in 2009 with inflation having been 16.4%.

could be tackled with the help of reconstruction, including road reconstruction.Yuschenko: crisis could be tackled through reconstruction, including road reconstruction
Kyiv Post (21 November 2009) The program banned tax collection in advance, would return non-reimbursed VAT, create equal tax rules for everybody and stop government interference in certain enterprises and whole sectors of the economy.Presidential Secretariat: Yuschenko defends economic freedom in contrast to state monopolism of Tymoshenko
Kyiv Post (8 December 2009) Yushchenko considers an open list of candidates for parliamentary elections as one of the conditions for eradicating corruption.Yushchenko: Open list of candidates for parliamentary elections a condition for eradicating corruption
Kyiv Post (12 December 2009) On 2 March 2022, Yushchenko described Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 as "the Moscow junta and the Russian fascist regime".

Family and personal life

In 1977, Yushchenko married Svitlana Ivanivna Kolesnyk, with whom he has two children and three grandchildren: * Vitalyna (b. 15 April 1980) currently married to Oleksiy Khakhlyov and has two children. ** Oleksiy Khakhlyov is a director of the Tar-paper Factory in

Slavuta Slavuta (, russian: link=no, Славу́та, , ) is a city in Shepetivka Raion, Khmelnytskyi Oblast (province) of western Ukraine, located on the Horyn River. The city is located approximately 80 km from the oblast capital, Khmelnytskyi ...

, Khmelnytskyi Oblast * Andriy (b. 1985) married Yelyzaveta Efrosinina (b. 1981) in 2009 and has a daughter In 1998, he married Kateryna Chumachenko, with whom he has three children. She is a

Ukrainian-American Ukrainian Americans ( uk, Українські американці, Ukrayins'ki amerykantsi) are Americans who are of Ukrainian ancestry. According to U.S. census estimates, in 2021 there were 1,017,586 Americans of Ukrainian descent represen ...

born in Chicago who received a degree in Economics from Georgetown University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. She also studied at the Ukrainian Institute at Harvard University. Her resume includes working for the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, the Bureau for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs at the

U.S. State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

, the

Reagan White House Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following a landslide victory over ...

, the

U.S. Treasury Department The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...

, and the Joint Economic Committee of Congress. In Ukraine she first worked with the US-Ukraine Foundation, then as Country Director for

KPMG KPMG International Limited (or simply KPMG) is a multinational corporation, multinational professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting firms, Big Four accounting organizations. Headquartered in Amstelveen, Netherlands, alth ...

Barents Group. She heads the Ukraine 3000 Foundation, which emphasizes promoting civil society, particularly charity and corporate responsibility. The Foundation implements programs in the areas of children's health, integrating the disabled, improving education, supporting culture and the arts, publishing books, and researching history, particularly the Holodomor. From 1995 to 2005, she worked closely with Pryately Ditey, an organization that helps Ukrainian orphans. Criticized by her husband's opponents for her US citizenship, Kateryna became a Ukrainian citizen in March 2005 and renounced her US citizenship, as required by Ukrainian law, in March 2007. During the 2004 election campaign, she was accused of exerting influence on behalf of the U.S. government on her husband's decisions, as an employee of the U.S. government or even a

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

agent. A Russian state television journalist had earlier accused her of leading a U.S. project to help Yushchenko seize power in Ukraine; in January 2002, she won a libel case against that journalist. Ukraine's then anti-Yushchenko TV channel

Inter Inter may refer to: Association football clubs * Inter Milan, an Italian club * SC Internacional, a Brazilian club * Inter Miami CF, an American club * FC Inter Sibiu, a Romanian club * FC Inter Turku, a Finnish club * FK Inter Bratislava, a forme ...

repeated the allegations in 2001, but in January 2003 she won a libel case against that channel. A practicing member of the

Ukrainian Orthodox Church The history of Christianity in Ukraine dates back to the earliest centuries of the history of Christianity, to the Apostolic Age, with mission trips along the Black Sea and a legend of Saint Andrew even ascending the hills of Kyiv. The first Ch ...

,"UOC-MP threatens sanctions against President Yushchenko"
''UkrWeekly'' 14 May 2006 Yushchenko often emphasizes the important role of his religious convictions in his life and worldview. Yushchenko has been criticized for using many words of Russian origin when speaking

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

."Song in Surzhyk"
'' Trud'' 27 June 2006 Корреспондент » Украина » Политика » Лидер социалистов рассказал Ющенко о "задрипаній козі у королівських покоях"
His main hobbies are

traditional culture (including

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain, ...

, and

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscape ...

), mountaineering, and

beekeeping Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the maintenance of bee colonies, commonly in man-made beehives. Honey bees in the genus '' Apis'' are the most-commonly-kept species but other honey-producing bees such as '' Melipona'' stingless bees are also kept. ...

. He is keen on painting, collects antiques, folk artifacts, and Ukrainian national dress, and restores objects of Trypillya culture. Each year he climbs

Hoverla Mount Hoverla ( Ukrainian and rue, Говерла, Hoverla), at , is the highest mountain in Ukraine and part of the Carpathian Mountains ( Ukrainian Carpathians). The mountain is located in the Eastern Beskids, in the Chornohora region. The ...

, Ukraine's highest mountain. After receiving a checkup in which doctors determined he was healthy despite the previous year's dioxin poisoning, he successfully climbed the mountain again on 16 July 2005. Although Yushchenko no longer works for the Ukrainian state, as a former president of Ukraine he continues to live in his state-owned dacha in Koncha-Zaspa.Ukrayinska Pravda exposes president's Mezhygirya deal
Kyiv Post (6 May 2009)

Cultural and political image

As a politician, Yushchenko is widely perceived as a mixture of Western-oriented and Ukrainian

nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...

. He advocates moving Ukraine in the direction of Europe and NATO, promoting free market reforms, preserving Ukraine's culture, rebuilding important historical monuments, and remembering Ukraine's history, including the Holodomor man-made famine of 1932–1933. His opponents (and allies) sometimes criticize him for indecision and secrecy, while advocates call the same attributes signs of Yushchenko's commitment to teamwork, consensus, and negotiation. He is also often accused of being unable to form a unified team free of inner quarrels. United States Ambassador to Ukraine John F. Tefft, described Yushchenko, in a document uncovered during the United States diplomatic cables leak, as discredited among the population because of his weakness of leadership, continuous conflicts with Yulia Tymoshenko, needless hostility towards Russia and his NATO ambitions."US-Probleme in der Ukraine: Fatales Spiel mit falschen Freunden"
'' Der Spiegel'' (2 December 2010) Yushchenko's former

Minister of Internal Affairs Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

Yuriy Lutsenko Yuriy Vitaliyovych Lutsenko ( uk, Юрій Віталійович Луценко; born 14 December 1964) is a Ukrainian politician whose most recent post was Prosecutor General of Ukraine from 12 May 2016Viktor Yanukovych to power. In December 2011,

Russian Prime Minister The chairman of the government of the Russian Federation, also informally known as the prime minister, is the nominal head of government of Russia. Although the post dates back to 1905, its current form was established on 12 December 1993 f ...

Vladimir Putin claimed that the organizers of the

2011 Russian protests Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12 * one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''El ...

were former (Russian) advisors to Yushchenko during his presidency and were transferring the Orange Revolution to Russia."Putin calls 'color revolutions' an instrument of destabilization"
'' Kyiv Post'' (15 December 2011)

Public opinion polls

In March 2009, Yushchenko's popularity plunged to just 22%."Russia's neighbours go their own way"
by Bridget Kendall, BBC News (21 August 2008) According to a poll carried out by the

Kyiv International Institute of Sociology Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, or KIIS ( uk, Київський міжнародний інститут соціології, КМІС), is a Ukrainian organization conducting sociological research in the fields of social and socioec ...

between 29 January and 5 February 2009, nearly 70% of Ukrainian voters believed that Yushchenko should leave his post, whereas just over 30% believed he should stay. When asked if Yushchenko should be impeached, over 56% of those polled were in favor with 44% against."Poll says Ukraine's president should step down now"
UNIAN (17 February 2009) According to a public opinion poll conducted by FOM-Ukraine in September/October 2009, 88.5% of those polled did not support the actions of Yushchenko as president, while 11.5% welcomed them."Poll: Ukrainians not supporting activities of president, premier"
'' Kyiv Post'' (12 October 2009) A

Razumkov Center Razumkov Centre ( uk, Центр Разумкова), or fully the Ukrainian Centre for Economic and Political Studies named after Olexander Razumkov ( uk, Український центр економічних і політичних дослі ...

opinion poll conducted in October 2011 told that 80% of Ukrainians did not support his actions, while 20% of Ukrainians supported his actions; it was the highest negative rating of any Ukrainian politician.

Honours and awards

* Commander Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of Three Stars (Latvia, 2006) * Grand Cross with Golden Chain of the

Order of Vytautas the Great The Order of Vytautas the Great is the Lithuanian Presidential Award.''Lietuvos Respublikos Konstitucija. 84 straipsnis''. Priimta 1992 It may be conferred on the heads of Lithuania and foreign states, as well as their citizens, for distinguished ...

(Lithuania, 2006) * Knight Grand Cross of the

Grand Order of King Tomislav The Grand Order of King Tomislav ( hr, Velered kralja Tomislava), or officially the Grand Order of King Tomislav with Sash and Great Morning Star (''Velered kralja Tomislava s lentom i Velikom Danicom''), is the highest state order of Croatia. It ...

("For outstanding contribution to the promotion of friendship and development co-operation between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Ukraine." - 6 June 2007) * Grand Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievemen ...

(2009, Poland) * Order "For Merits" of Class III (1996, Ukraine) * The Liberty Medal (US Constitution Center, Philadelphia, PA) (2005, USA) * Order of Heydar Aliyev (2008, Azerbaijan) *

Order of the White Rose of Finland The Order of the White Rose of Finland ( fi, Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Vita Ros’ orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty, and the Order of the Lion of Finland. ...

(2006) *

Order of the Golden Fleece The Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriage ...

(2009, Georgia) * St. George's Order of Victory (2009, Georgia) * Order of the White Eagle (2005, Poland) * Royal Order of the Seraphim (2008, Sweden) * Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (2008, Hungary) *

Quadriga A () is a car or chariot drawn by four horses abreast and favoured for chariot racing in Classical Antiquity and the Roman Empire until the Late Middle Ages. The word derives from the Latin contraction of , from ': four, and ': yoke. The four- ...

(2006, Germany) *

Presidential Order of Excellence The Presidential Order of Excellence is an award given by the President of Georgia to individuals in culture, education, science, art, sport, and other fields, for significant achievements and meritorious service for Georgia. The award was esta ...

(

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, 2011) Yushchenko was named "Man of the Year 2004" by ''

Wprost ''Wprost'' (, meaning "Directly") is a Polish-language weekly news magazine published in Poznań, Poland.

'' and included in the 2005 Time 100, an annual list of '' Time'' 100 most influential people in the world. Honorary doctorates from the

National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy ( NaUKMA) ( uk, Національний університет «Києво-Могилянська академія» (НаУКМА)) is a national, research university located in Kyiv, Ukraine. ...

(1996), the University of Maria Curie-Sklodowska (2000) and the

Catholic University of Lublin John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin ( pl, Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski Jana Pawła II, la, Universitas Catholica Lublinensis Ioannis Pauli II, abbreviation KUL), established in 1918. It is the only private college in Poland with the s ...

(2009), and honorary membership in the

Academy of Sciences of Moldova The Academy of Sciences of Moldova ( ro, Academia de Științe a Moldovei), established in 1961, is the main scientific organization of Moldova and coordinates research in all areas of science and technology. Ion Tighineanu has been the head of t ...

Iuşcenco Victor
/ref>

References

External links

* Web sites and pages
razom.org.ua
— Nasha Ukrayina website

— Official site of the parliament * — video file of Viktor Yushchenko speaking to the Ukrainian nation
Candidate Viktor Yushchenko wins first round of Ukraine election
(10 November 2004). ''Rule of Law Foundation''.
Viktor Yushchenko approval rating (2000–2009)
by

Razumkov Centre Razumkov Centre ( uk, Центр Разумкова), or fully the Ukrainian Centre for Economic and Political Studies named after Olexander Razumkov ( uk, Український центр економічних і політичних дослі ...

Viktor Yushchenko
''

Freedom Collection Freedom Collection is a digital repository sponsored by the George W. Bush Institute at the George W. Bush Presidential Center on Southern Methodist University's campus in Dallas, Texas. The collection documents major players in human rights and ...

'' interview News and articles
BBC News profile

(from the Times Online)

('' Ukrayinska Pravdas critical article on the agreement between Yushchenko and Yanukovych; September 2005) * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Yushchenko, Viktor 1954 births Living people Viktor People from Sumy Oblast Presidents of Ukraine Prime Ministers of Ukraine Governors of the National Bank of Ukraine Fourth convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada Communist Party of Ukraine (Soviet Union) politicians Our Ukraine (political party) politicians Independent politicians in Ukraine Independent politicians of Our Ukraine Bloc People of the Orange Revolution Ukrainian accountants Ukrainian bankers Ukrainian democracy activists Ukrainian nationalists Eastern Orthodox Christians from Ukraine Members of Ukrainian Orthodox church bodies Candidates in the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election Candidates in the 2010 Ukrainian presidential election Chevaliers of the Order of Merit (Ukraine) Grand Crosses of the Order of Polonia Restituta Grand Crosses with Golden Chain of the Order of Vytautas the Great Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary Recipients of the Order of the Golden Fleece (Georgia) Recipients of the Heydar Aliyev Order Recipients of St. George's Order of Victory Recipients of the Presidential Order of Excellence Laureates of the State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technology Honorary members of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova 20th-century Ukrainian economists 20th-century Ukrainian politicians 21st-century Ukrainian politicians

Early life

Central banker

Prime minister

"Our Ukraine" leader

Presidential election of 2004

TCDD poisoning

Presidency

Inauguration

Presidency

Dismissal of other Orange Revolution members

First dissolution of Parliament

Second dissolution of Parliament (2007) and conflict with Tymoshenko (2008–2009)

2010 presidential election and later career

2010 presidential election

Later career including 2012 parliamentary elections

Euromaidan and 2014 election

Political positions

Family and personal life

Cultural and political image

Public opinion polls

Honours and awards

See also

References

External links