Batkivshchyna

The All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" ( uk, Всеукраїнське об'єднання "Батьківщина", translit=Vseukrains'ke obiednannia "Bat'kivshchyna") referred to as Batkivshchyna (), is a political party in Ukraine led by People's Deputy of Ukraine, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. As the core party of the former Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, Batkivshchyna has been represented in the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) since Yulia Tymoshenko set up the parliamentary faction of the same name in March 1999.Revolution in Orange: The Origins of Ukraine's Democratic Breakthrough
by Anders Aslund and Michael A. McFaul, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2006, State Building in Ukraine: The Ukrainian Parliament, 1990–2003
by Sarah Whitmore, Routledge, 2004, , page 106Всеукраїнське об'єднання "Батьківщина" ''All-Ukrainian Union Batkivshchyna''
, RBC Ukraine After the November 2011 banning of the participation of blocs of political parties in parliamentary elections,Parliament passes law on parliamentary elections
, ''Kyiv Post'' (17 November 2011) Batkivshchyna became a major force in Ukrainian politics independently.

In the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election for the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc), and another 39 in constituencies, thus a total of 101 seats. On 15 June 2013 the parties "Front of Changes" and " Reforms and Order" finally merged with the Batkivshchyna by self-liquidation. By 31 December 2013 the parliamentary faction Batkivshchyna had 90 deputies.Депутатські фракції і групи VII скликання ''Deputy fractions and Groups VII convocation''
, Verkhovna Rada

From August 5, 2011, to February 22, 2014, Yulia Tymoshenko was a political prisoner of the Yanukovych regime. In the concluding days of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution, she was released after three years in jail and her reputation rehabilitated by the Supreme Court of Ukraine.Yatsenyuk became a leader of the "People's Front" political council, while Turchynov is a head of its headquarters
. Ukrayinska Pravda. 10 September 2014
Ukrainian PM, Parliament Speaker to Head Newly Formed Popular Front Party
, RIA Novosti (10 September 2014) Tymoshenko began reforming the party and Batkivshchyna went into the parliamentary elections of 2014 with new members, the top five of the list included: Nadiya Savchenko, Yulia Tymoshenko, Ihor Lutsenko, Serhiy Sobolev, and Alyona Shkrum. Based on the election results, the party received 19 seats in the Ukrainian parliament: 17 according to party lists and two through the majority system.Poroshenko Bloc to have greatest number of seats in parliament
, Ukrinform (8 November 2014)
People's Front 0.33% ahead of Poroshenko Bloc with all ballots counted in Ukraine elections – CEC
, Interfax-Ukraine (8 November 2014)
Poroshenko Bloc to get 132 seats in parliament – CEC
, Interfax-Ukraine (8 November 2014) Until 17 February 2016, the party was a member of the Second Yatsenyuk Government, but it later moved into opposition.

In the snap parliamentary election of 2019 Batkivschyna received 8.18% of the votes and 26 MPs (two elected in constituencies). In the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the party went into opposition. According to the results of the local elections in 2020, the Batkivshchyna received 12.39% votes of voters, and became one of the leading parties in the local elections in Ukraine.CEC named the party leaders in the local elections in Ukraine
''lb.ua'' (18 November 2020) Batkivshchyna maintained a social-democratic image until it joined the European People's Party in 2008. It is in favor of Ukraine's integration into the EU and joining NATO.

History

Early history

The predecessor of today's party is the Association of Peace-loving Forces "Batkivshchyna" that was founded in 1995 by Volodymyr Prisnyakov, a rector at Dnipropetrovsk National University. In 1998, Yulia Tymoshenko was elected a people's deputy of the Verkhovna Rada from the Bobrynets constituency (number 99) in Kirovohrad Oblast. In spring 1999, Tymoshenko created a parliamentary group called "Batkivshchyna" as a breakaway group of Hromada. On 14 September 1998 the General Prosecutor of Ukraine accused Hromada leader Pavlo Lazarenko of embezzlement, and the following March Tymoshenko established the "Fatherland" parliamentary group. On 9 July 1999, based on the parliamentary group and smaller party, a new political party – All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" – was founded its constituent congress. On the same day, the Charter of the party was approved. According to which the party is entrusted with the main duties to protect the interests of the Ukrainian people in their struggle for the independence of Ukraine, the preservation of national identity, the European future of the country and a decent life for all its citizens. The first party chairman was elected Viktor Drachenko, a former Communist Party secretary from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The party was registered by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine on 16 September 1999 under certificate no. 122.Всеукраїнське об'єднання "Батьківщина"
, Database DATA At the second congress, held on 18 December of the same year, Yulia Tymoshenko was elected chairman of the party, replacing Drachenko.

Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc

In the 2002 parliamentary elections, the party was the main constituent of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc. The bloc obtained 22 seats in the parliament, all on the party list. Thirteen of them were allocated to "Fatherland".

In January 2005, Tymoshenko became Prime Minister of Ukraine under Viktor Yushchenko's presidency.Ukraine's Gold-Plaited Comeback Kid
, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (23 September 2008) Several months earlier, she was a leader in the Orange Revolution which enabled Yushchenko's election.

After losing several seats in 2002 and 2003, by September 2005 the bloc had grown to 40 members. In March 2005, the Yabluko party merged with Batkivshchyna. However, in March 2007 Yabluko became the Party of Free Democrats and withdrew from Batkivshchyna. In late 2005, the United Ukraine party also merged with Batkivshchyna. In the 2006 and 2007 parliamentary elections the party was part of the Tymoshenko Bloc, which won 129 of 450 seats in 2006 (22.29 percent of the total vote) and 156 of 450 seats (30.71 percent of the total vote) in 2007.

On 18 December 2007 Yulia Tymoshenko was reelected prime minister by a two-vote margin, making Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc and the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc a majority coalition. Since 2008, the party has been an observer member of the European People's Party.Європейська народна партія взяла до себе "УДАР" і виключила "Нашу Україну" ''European People's Party took a "hit" and excluded "Our Ukraine"''
, ''Ukrayinska Pravda'' (6 September 2013)
Member Parties
, European People's Party

In 2009, "Fatherland" put Tymoshenko forward as a candidate for the presidency of Ukraine. After its defeat in the elections, the parliamentary coalition ceased to exist, and Tymoshenko's cabinet was dismissed. Tymoshenko stated on 22 February 2010 that she would go into opposition. During the 2010 Ukrainian local elections