Democratic Bloc (Ukraine)

History

The elections in the spring of 1990 were the first where the Soviet-authorities allowed the formation of full-fledged political parties that varied in their political agendas. The first democratic bloc that consisted of smaller parties was formed during the election. The "Democratic Bloc" included the People's Movement of Ukraine (Rukh), Helsinki Watch Committee of Ukraine, Green World Association, and other organizations. It managed to obtain 111 seats out of 442 in Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament). The democratic deputies formed the "Narodna Rada" group, which consisted of around 90 to 125 members and was the opposition to the conservative-communist "group of 239" in the parliament ("for the sovereign Soviet Ukraine"). Ihor Yukhnovskyi became the leader of the group. The considered lack of parliamentary seats for the "Democratic Bloc" became one of the causes of the October 1990 "Revolution on Granite".

In the 1990 Ukrainian local elections "Democratic Bloc" won the elections in Lviv Oblast, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast and Ternopil Oblast.

During the next parliamentary election of 1994 the above-mentioned parties didn't cooperate as "Democratic Bloc" but rather went their separate ways. Eventually, by the end of the 2000s, the People's Movement of Ukraine became part of the Our Ukraine block. Helsinki Watch Committee of Ukraine ceased to exist. Its 1990s offspring, Ukrainian Republican Party merged with Ukrainian People's Party and became part of Our Ukraine. The Green World Association transformed itself into the Party of Greens of Ukraine, but that party hasn't won any seats in the Ukrainian Parliament since the 1998 parliamentary election.

After the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election only People's Movement of Ukraine was represented in Verkhovna Rada. In the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election this party participated in 3 constituencies; but its candidates lost in all of them and thus the party won no parliamentary seats.

Notes

References

References

1. [[Serhy Yekelchyk]] ''Ukraine: Birth of a Modern Nation'', [[Oxford University Press]] (2007), {{ISBN. 978-0-19-530546-3, page 187
2. Subtelny, Orest. (2000). "Ukraine: A History". [[University of Toronto Press]].
3. (February 1, 2006). "Trends of independence: Elections in Ukraine". kandydat.com.ua.
4. [http://m.day.kyiv.ua/en/article/day-after-day/lesson-revolution-granite The lesson of the Revolution on Granite] {{Webarchive. link. (2021-04-15 , [[Den (newspaper)). Den]] (4 October 2016)
5. [http://www.businessinsider.com/why-ukraine-is-so-important-2014-1 Why Ukraine Is So Important] {{Webarchive. link. (2014-02-14 , [[Business Insider]] (28 January 2014)
   [https://books.google.com/books?id=2DI9DwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Revolution+on+Granite%22+Ukraine&pg=PA154 The Process of Politicization: How Much Politics Does a Society Need?], [[Cambridge Scholars Publishing]], 2017, {{ISBN). 1-4438-9628-4 (page 154)
6. [https://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/tom-junes/where-does-key-to-political-change-in-post-soviet-space-lie Where does the key to political change lie in the post-Soviet space?] {{Webarchive. link. (2018-09-17 , [[openDemocracy]] (23 August 2016))
7. 0190237279 (page 2)
8. "Результати виборів до Верховної Ради і місцевих рад 1990 р".
9. [http://www.kyivpost.com/content/politics/results-of-the-vote-count-continuously-updated-315153.html Results of the vote count] {{Webarchive. link. (2013-01-11 , ''[[Kyiv Post]]'' (9 November 2012))
10. [http://ukrainianweek.com/Politics/58995 They Call Themselves the Opposition] {{Webarchive. link. (2016-03-22 , ''[[The Ukrainian Week]]'' (31 August 2012))
11. [http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/123555/ Opposition to form single list to participate in parliamentary elections] {{Webarchive. link. (2012-06-05 , ''[[Kyiv Post]]'' (2 March 2012))
12. [http://www.osw.waw.pl/en/publikacje/eastweek/2012-11-07/after-parliamentary-elections-ukraine-a-tough-victory-party-regions After the parliamentary elections in Ukraine: a tough victory for the Party of Regions] {{Webarchive. link. (2013-03-17 , [[Centre for Eastern Studies]] (7 November 2012))
13. [http://utr.tv/eng/news-from-www-ukrinform-ua/327072-poroshenko_bloc_to_have_greatest_number_of_seats_in_parliament_327072.html Poroshenko Bloc to have greatest number of seats in parliament] {{webarchive. link. (2014-11-10 , [[Ukrainian Television and Radio]] (8 November 2014)
    [http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/233404.html People's Front 0.33% ahead of Poroshenko Bloc with all ballots counted in Ukraine elections - CEC] {{Webarchive). link. (2014-11-12 , [[Interfax-Ukraine]] (8 November 2014)
    [http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/233426.html Poroshenko Bloc to get 132 seats in parliament - CEC] {{Webarchive). link. (2019-04-04 , [[Interfax-Ukraine]] (8 November 2014))
14. {{in lang. uk [https://archive.today/20141208213826/http://vibori2014.rbc.ua/ukr/party/narodnyi-rukh/spisok_majoritariev Rukh candidates for constituency seats in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election], [[RBK Ukraine]]