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Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine party loses its original Charter

Our Ukraine was established in March 2005

KIEV, October 1 (Itar-Tass) - Ukraine’s governmental newspaper Uryadovyi Kurier reported on Tuesday that the Our Ukraine political party led by ex-President Viktor Yushchenko (2005-2010) had lost the original of its Charter.

“We inform about the loss of the Charter of the political party Our Ukraine,” the newspaper cited the party’s statement. Sources in the party confirmed this information but refused to provide any further details.

Our Ukraine was established in March 2005, although Yushchenko’s bloc had had seats in the Ukrainian parliament since 2002.

Meanwhile, at the latest elections to the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) in October 2012, Our Ukraine won a mere 1.1 percent of the vote, far below the five percent needed to win parliamentary seats.

The party membership considerably dwindled during the election campaign when a number of key figures, including Yushchenko’s closest ally, former Ukraine’s security chief Valentin Nalivaichenko, quitted the party.

A number of Our Ukraine congresses held in 2013 demonstrated the lack of unity within the once powerful political association, which was among the organizers of the so-called orange revolution of 2004-2005 stirred up in protest against the results of the 2004 presidential vote.

Actually, Our Ukraine has split into two wings. A congress convened by chairman of the party’s political council Sergei Bondarchuk even passed a decision to expel Yushchenko from the party “for aiding the authorities” and to wind up the party’s activities.

Bondarchuk’s opponents however refuted these reports and in February 2013 expelled him and six more Our Ukraine members from the part “for actions provoking cleavage.”