The Yuriy Lutsenko's People's Self-Defense () was a Ukrainian electoral bloc.
In the parliamentary elections on 30 September 2007, the bloc was part of the Our Ukraine alliance, that won 72 out of 450 seats. (In the following 2012 elections the participation of blocs of political parties was banned.Yanukovych signs law on parliamentary elections, Kyiv Post (8 December 2011))
Yuriy Lutsenko was the party leader.
History The electoral bloc was created on April 13, 2007 and was based on the civil movement that was created several months earlier. The bloc consists of two parties Forward, Ukraine! and Christian-Democratic Union. It participated in the parliamentary elections of 2007 later forming a deputy group within the Our Ukraine alliance.
In July 2007, the old Our Ukraine bloc had been reorganized with Civil Movement "People's Self-Defense" into the Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc for the 2007 parliamentary election in September 2007. The member parties had planned to merge into a single party in December 2007 but on November 16, 2007 People’s Self-Defense decided to end its participation in the process of forming a united partyLutsenko Refuses to Join New NU-NS Party / Ukrayinska Pravda since then that process is unclear.News Site RAZOM The alliance currently holds 72 out of 450 parliamentary seats.
The party's parliamentary faction did not support the dismissal of the second Tymoshenko Government.People's Self-Defense to enter 'opposition to Yanukovych,' says Lutsenko, Kyiv Post (March 2, 2010)
In an interview with the Silski Visti (Village News) newspaper on January 29, 2009 Yuriy Lutsenko declared that The People's Self-Defense as an insurgent, protesting, and not very structured civil movement has ceased to exist. Lutsenko also said he was planning to direct the organizational changes to the political party Forward, Ukraine!.Interior minister planning to set up full-fledged political force , Interfax-Ukraine (29-01-2009) In April 2010 Forward, Ukraine! renamed itself People's Self-Defense Political Party.Forward, Ukraine! Party changes name to People's Self-Defense, Kyiv Post (April 21, 2010) Lutsenko became leader of that party.Prosecutor's office refuses to release Lutsenko on bail, says People's Self-Defense, Kyiv Post (March 1, 2011)
In November 2011 the participation of blocs of political parties in parliamentary elections was banned.Parliament passes law on parliamentary elections, Kyiv Post (17 November 2011) The People's Self-Defense Political Party merged with All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland".Turchynov: Batkivschyna, People's Self-Defense start unification (updated), Kyiv Post (28 December 2011)Tymoshenko, Lutsenko aware of their parties' unification, Kyiv Post (29 December 2011)
Parliamentarians Volodymyr Aryev Oleksandr Doniy Yuriy Hrymchak Hennadiy Moskal Viktor Shemchuk Yuriy Stets Taras Stetskiv
Expelled parliamentarians The following deputies were expelled from the Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc fraction in September 2011 because of supporting the Azarov Government.People's Self-Defense faction: Twelve parliamentarians expelled from Our Ukraine, Kyiv Post (September 7, 2011) Oleh Novikov Oleksandr Omelchenko Kateryna Lukyanova Serhiy Vasylenko Volodymyr Marushchenko Serhiy Kharovsky
Oleksandr Bobyliov became a member of Reforms for the Future in 2010.Parliament to probe past gas deals, Kyiv Post (March 17, 2010)
See also Civil Movement "People's Self-Defense"
References
External links Yuriy Lutsenko's People's Self-Defense official website