The Opposition Bloc (, ) was a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine that was founded in 2010 and renamed in 2014 by the merger of six parties that did not endorse Euromaidan. Legally, the party was created by renaming the lesser-known party "Leading Force". "OPPOSITION BLOCK", Civil movement "Chesno" (2018) The party was perceived as the successor of the disbanded Party of Regions.Kazanskyi, D. Revenge of separatism. 2014 will happen again, the question is when? (Реванш сепаратизма. 2014 год повторится, вопрос — когда?). Argument. 10 May 2017
In the 2014 election, the party won 29 seats predominantly in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Kharkiv oblasts.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) American lobbyist Paul Manafort acted as political consultant for the party.
By January 2019 two wings of the party nominated two different candidates for the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election. Opposition split. How Boyko and Vilkul divide the legacy of "regionalists", Ukrainska Pravda (18 December 2018) Odd-man-out. Why Leovochkin and Medvedchuk are preparing for the election without Akhmetov, Ukrainska Pravda (20 November 2018) Yuriy Boyko for the Opposition Platform — For Life Boyko began registering as a presidential candidate, Ukrainska Pravda (17 November 2018) The association of Boyko-Rabinovich was determined with the presidential candidate, Ukrainska Pravda (17 November 2018) and Oleksandr Vilkul for Opposition Bloc — Party for Peace and Development (the recently renamed Industrial Party of Ukraine). Both these two offsprings of Opposition Bloc took part independently of each other in the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election, with the Opposition Bloc — Party for Peace and Development (also) named into Opposition Bloc.
Party leaders Chairman: Rinat Akhmetov (one wing) Dmytro Firtash & Yuriy Boyko (one wing) Fraction in Verkhovna Rada leader: Vadym Novynskyi
History Party "Leading Force" The party was registered at the Ukrainian Ministry of Justice on 23 April 2010 as "Leading Force" (, Russian: Ведущая сила). In Ukraine registered 181st political party, Zaxid.net (2010)List of all Ukrainian political parties , Ukrainian Ministry of Justice The party was led by Anatoly Kornienko.
The party did not participate in the 2012 parliamentary elections. Results of voting in single constituencies in 2012 & Nationwide list, Central Election Commission of Ukraine
2014 parliamentary elections
In September 2014 American lobbyist Paul Manafort was hired as an advisor to (former Manafort client) Viktor Yanukovych's former head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine Serhiy Lyovochkin. Manafort was tasked with rebranding Party of Regions. Instead, he argued to help stabilize Ukraine, Manafort advised to create a new political party called Opposition Bloc. According to Ukrainian political analyst Mikhail Pogrebinsky "He thought to gather the largest number of people opposed to the current government, you needed to avoid anything concrete, and just become a symbol of being opposed".
It was planned that the biggest party in the previous 2012 parliamentary elections, Party of Regions, would be part of the Opposition Bloc in the 2014 parliamentary elections. What distinguishes the "opposition bloc" of the Party of Regions?, BBC Ukrainian (23 September 2014) This alliance was to be led by Serhiy Tihipko. But he refused to do so because in his opinion in this alliance there were "people tainted by corruption and to put it mildly, unpatriotic". Tihipko then became leader of (the revived) Strong Ukraine.
On 14 September 2014, the Party of Regions choose not to participate in the elections; it deemed the election lacking legitimacy because the residents of the Donbas could not vote in the election.Ukraine's Party of Regions Refuses to Participate in Rada Elections, RIA Novosti (23 September 2014) Also on 14 September 2014, a forum took place in Kyiv with the banner "Peace. Stability. Revival", at the end of which Party of Development of Ukraine, Center All-Ukrainian Union, Ukraine – Forward!, Labour Ukraine, New Politics and "State neutrality" decided to take part in the 2014 parliamentary elections as Opposition Bloc.Opposition Bloc boosts rating by distancing itself from Yanukovych era, Kyiv Post (Oct. 24, 2014)Development party of Ukraine, 'Ukraine - Forward!' and four more political forces team up in Opposition Bloc, Kyiv Post (Sept. 15, 2014)Ukraine's Elections: The Battle of the Billionaires, The Daily Beast (10.25.14) Non-Maidan parties united into the Opposition Bloc. Radio Liberty. 14 September 2014 Many individual members of Party of Regions ended up as candidates of Opposition Bloc.Opposition Bloc chooses top ten candidates for parliamentary elections, Interfax Ukraine (23 September 2014)Allies of Yanukovych trying for parliament, Kyiv Post (21 September 2014)Party Of Regions Will Not Contest Snap Parliamentary Elections Independently , Ukrainian News Agency (14 September 2014) Among them Yuriy Boyko, who headed the party's election list. Other main figures on this election list are Natalia Korolevska, Mykhailo Dobkin and Vadim Rabinovich. In September 2014 Boyko argued that Opposition Bloc does not represent parties, but consisted only of individual politicians. Boyko, Dobkin and Rabinovich all took part in the 2014 Ukrainian presidential election. In which they scored 0.19%, 3.03% and 2.25%. Results election of Ukrainian president, Телеграф (29 May 2014) Korolevska and Boyko were both ministers in the second Azarov Government.Yanukovych appoints new Cabinet of Ministers, Kyiv Post (24 December 2012) Serhiy Lyovochkin was also a candidate of the party.Serhiy Lyovochkin: 'Conflicts of interest are everywhere', Kyiv Post (July 9, 2010)Lyovochkin resigns over draconian anti-democratic laws; others expected to quit soon, Kyiv Post (Jan. 17, 2014)Liovochkin running for MP from Opposition Bloc, Interfax Ukraine (24 September 2014) Five members of Party of Regions were in the top 10 of the Opposition Bloc's electoral list.
The party won 29 seats; including the winning of 2 constituency seats. It won 2 constituency seats but for the nationwide party lists of the election (53.2% of the seats was elected by a nationwide party lists and 46.8% in 198 constituenciesParliamentary elections not to be held at nine constituencies in Donetsk region and six constituencies in Luhansk region - CEC, Interfax-Ukraine (25 October 2014)Parliament passes law on parliamentary elections, Kyiv Post (17 November 2011) Перший крок до зриву виборів, Ukrainska Pravda (9 April 2012)) the party gained most votes in all 14 constituencies in Kharkiv Oblast, all 6 constituenciesOnly in six constituencies of Donetsk region and one constituency in Luhansk region voting to be at all polling stations, says CEC, Interfax-Ukraine (26 October 2014) in Luhansk Oblast (were voting was possible), 8 out of 9 in Zaporizhzhia Oblast (Petro Poroshenko Bloc winning the remaining constituency), in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast 10 out of 17 constituencies (Petro Poroshenko Bloc winning the remaining constituency), in Donetsk Oblast (were voting was possible) 6 out of 11 constituencies (Petro Poroshenko Bloc winning the remaining 5 constituencies). In Odesa Oblast 27 October preliminary result indicated that Petro Poroshenko Bloc had won 7 constituencies with the remaining 4 constituencies won by Opposition Bloc.Kharkiv, Luhansk, Zaporizhia regions prefer Opposition Bloc, Interfax-Ukraine (27.10.2014) In Mykolaiv Oblast Petro Poroshenko Bloc seemed to be the clear winner with winning 5 constituencies while the remaining constituency won by Opposition Bloc.
On 27 November 2014 an Opposition Bloc parliamentary faction of 40 people was formed (at the opening session of the new parliament). In Parliament created a faction, Ukrainska Pravda (27 November 2014)
The party was one of the winners of the 2015 Ukrainian local elections gaining nationwide 11.5%.Poroshenko Bloc, Batkivschyna, Nash Kray get largest number of seats in local councils – Ukrainian Voters Committee, Interfax-Ukraine (12 November 2015) It gained most (of all) votes South and East Ukraine (except of Kharkiv Oblast).Why a 'Star Wars' Emperor Won Office in Ukraine, Bloomberg News (26 October 2015)Exit Polls Show Ukraine Divided For, Against Poroshenko Rule, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (27 October 2015)After Ukraine's Local Elections: Early Misinterpretations, Carnegie Europe (27 October 2015)Poroshenko hobbles on, Politico Europe (26 October 2015)Week's milestones. Elections to be continued, blackmail in Minsk, and emotional lustration, UNIAN (27 October 2015)
In May 2016 Rabinovich left the party and its parliamentary faction after a request from his party Center All-Ukrainian Union.
Cessation and 2019 creation of two succession parties According to Ukrainska Pravda in the summer of 2018 negotiations on the unification of the parties For life and Opposition Bloc started. Ukrainska Pravda says these talks were instigated by Serhiy Lyovochkin who, along with Dmytro Firtash, controlled one of the wings of the party. While Rinat Akhmetov controlled the other wing of Opposition Bloc. Early November 2018 the party members loyal to Akhmetov decided to take a pause in the negotiations.
On 9 November 2018 Opposition Bloc chairman Boyko and Vadim Rabinovich's party For life signed an agreement for cooperation in the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election and the parliamentary election of the same year and created the alliance Opposition Platform — For life. The association of Boyko-Rabinovich was determined with the presidential candidate, Ukrainska Pravda (17 November 2018) The same day Opposition Bloc leading members Vadym Novynskyi and Borys Kolesnikov claimed the agreement was a "personal initiative" of Boyko and that the party had not take any decisions on cooperation with For life. Boyko's decision to merge with Rabinovich does not concern the "Opposition" - Novinsky, Ukrainska Pravda (9 November 2018) On 17 November 2018 Opposition Platform — For life nominated Boyko as its candidate in the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election. The same day Opposition Bloc member Party of Development of Ukraine joined the Opposition Platform — For life alliance. On 20 November 2018 Boyko and Serhiy Lyovochkin (leading member of the Party of Development of Ukraine The Party of Lyovochkin considers Ukrainian soldiers "punitive" and does not notice the annexation of the Crimea, UNIAN (11 August 2014)) were excluded from the Opposition Bloc faction (the reason given was) "because they betrayed their voters" interests.Boiko, Loovochkin excluded from Opposition Bloc faction for betraying voters' interests — Vilkul , Interfax-Ukraine (20 November 2018)