Christian Democratic Union (Ukraine)

Not to be confused with Christian Democratic Party of Ukraine.
Christian Democratic Union
Leader Olexander Chernenko (Party Chairman)[1][2]
Founded 1997[1]
Headquarters Vul. B. Khmelnytskoho 3-A, UA-01001 Kyiv
Ideology Christian democracy, Conservatism
Political position Centre-right
European affiliation European Christian Political Movement
International affiliation Centrist Democrat International
Colours White and red
Website
cdu.org.ua
Politics of Ukraine
Political parties
Elections

The Christian Democratic Union (Ukrainian: Християнсько-демократичний союз, Khrystiyansko Demokratichnyj Soyuz) is a political party in Ukraine. On December 2, 2002, in Athens, Greece the party became a member of Centrist Democrat International. It is negotiated now its associated membership in the European People's Party. The party also publishes a newspaper called Християнський демократ (Christian democrat).

History

The Christian Democratic Union was created on February 8, 1997 in Kiev, Ukraine as the Party of Christian-Popular Union (Ukrainian: Партія Християнсько-народний союз)[3] to promote the ideas of European Christian democracy in Ukraine. It was an offspring of the Christian Democratic Party of Ukraine and in 1996-1998 split off along with the All-Ukrainian Alliance of Christians.

During the Ukrainian parliamentary election, 1998 the party was part of the electoral bloc "Forward Ukraine" (Ukrainian: Виборчий блок партій "Вперед, Україно!")[1] which won 1 (single-mandate constituency) seat.

In March 2002, the CPU in alliance Our Ukraine[1] led by the former President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, won the parliamentary elections.

In the 4th Congress of CPU in 2003 some regional organisation of three parties united with it (Christian Democratic Party of Ukraine, Ukrainian Christian Democratic Party and All-Ukrainian Alliance of Christians), forming a new party on the base of CPU - Christian Democratic Union. A well-known Ukrainian lawyer, Dr. Volodymyr Stretovych became the CDU's president. Also registrations of the Ukrainian Christian Democratic Party and All-Ukrainian Alliance of Christians were cancelled.[4]

At the parliamentary elections on March 26, 2006, the party was part of the Our Ukraine alliance.[1] It was a serious discussion in the party as to whom must it form an alliance with. Many Christian democrats thought it would be better for the Christian Democratic Union to participate in elections without any alliance. But the party united one more time with governmental alliance Our Ukraine, although it didn't have ministries in Yulia Tymoshenko's nor in Yuri Yekhanurov's government.

In the parliamentary elections on 30 September 2007, the party was part of the Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc alliance,[1] that won 72 out of 450 seats. The party itself was represented by six deputies: David Zhvania (Party Secretary), Volodymyr Stretovych, Volodymyr Marushchenko (leader of party in Kiev-city), Oksana Bilozir, Oleh Novikov, Kateryna Lukianova.

In Autumn of 2008 the Christian Democratic Union merged with the Christian Democratic Party of Ukraine (Kyrylo Polishchuk).

The party supported Yulia Tymoshenko as presidential candidate in the Ukrainian presidential election, 2010.[5] The party did not support the dismissal of the second Tymoshenko Government.[6]

In September 2010 the party introduced a collegial management headed by the Secretary of the party. David Zhvania, Emergencies Minister in Yulia Tymoshenko's government (in 2005) became the Party Secretary. Zhvaniya is a member of the majority coalition in parliament supporting the Azarov Government.[7]

In the 2010 local elections the party won no representative in regional parliaments nor in the Supreme Council of Crimea.[8]

All of the parties deputies where expelled from the Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc faction in September 2011 because of supporting the Azarov Government.[9][10] In July 2010 they had entered the Right of Choice deputy group who openly supported the Azarov Government.[11]

David Zhvania took part in the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election as an independent candidate in single-member districts number 140 (first-past-the-post wins a parliament seat) located in the town Illichivsk.[12][13] He was (re-)elected in parliament.[14] Where in December 2012 he joined the Party of Regions faction.[15]

The party did not participate in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election.[16]

Policies

The three principles of the party are: Justice, Solidarity and Responsibility. In economy the party supports a free market on the base of private propriety and honest competition, but also an active social regulating of economy. In social politics - a right for free education and medicine, an address help to those in need. In international politics - Ukraine's membership in the European Union and NATO.

External links

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 (Ukrainian) Партія Християнсько-Демократичний Союз, Database DATA
  2. ↑ (Ukrainian) , Party official website (December 20, 2014)
  3. ↑ Personal website of the leader of Christian Democratic Union Volodymyr Stretovych
  4. ↑ Rybachuk, M., Kyriushko, M., Hrytsyna, O. Christian parties in Ukraine: end or beginning of establishment?
  5. ↑ Christian-Democratic Union party to support Tymoshenko at presidential election, Kyiv Post (November 28, 2009)
  6. ↑ (Ukrainian) Володимир Стретович про припинення діяльності демократичної коаліції, Official website (March 2, 2010)
  7. ↑ Christian Democratic Union calls on Yanukovych to help end political wars, Kyiv Post (December 28, 2010)
  8. ↑ (Ukrainian) Results of the elections, preliminary data, on interactive maps by Ukrayinska Pravda (8 November 2010)
  9. ↑ People's Self-Defense faction: Twelve parliamentarians expelled from Our Ukraine, Kyiv Post (September 7, 2011)
  10. ↑ Board, Parties official website
  11. ↑ People, Right of Choice deputy group
  12. ↑ (Ukrainian)Одномандатний виборчий округ №140 Single-mandate constituency № 140, Central Election Commission of Ukraine
  13. ↑ Powers of Persuasion, The Ukrainian Week (28 September 2012)
  14. ↑ (Ukrainian) Список депутатів нової Верховнcї Ради, Ukrayinska Pravda (11 November 2012)
  15. ↑ Rada approves composition of all committees, Kyiv Post (25 December 2012)
  16. ↑ Alphabetical Index of parties in 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Central Election Commission of Ukraine
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