European Solidarity
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European Solidarity

European Solidarity (Ukrainian: Європейська солідарність, romanizedYevropeiska solidarnist, IPA: [jeu̯roˈpɛjsʲkɐ sol⁽ʲ⁾iˈdɑrn⁽ʲ⁾isʲtʲ]; abbr. ЄС, YeS) is a political party in Ukraine. It has its roots in a parliamentary group called Solidarity dating from 2000 and has existed since in various forms as a political outlet for Petro Poroshenko. The party with its then name Petro Poroshenko Bloc won 132 of the 423 contested seats in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, more than any other party.

In August 2015, the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform (UDAR) merged into the party. In May 2019, the UDAR undid this merge. In October 2017, the party had about 30,000 members; former members of Party of Regions are denied membership. In the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election, the party won 23 seats on the nationwide party list and 2 constituency seats.

Initially formed as a social democratic party, it shifted to the centre-right during the formation of Petro Poroshenko Bloc in 2014. Since then, it has been described as Christian democratic, liberal conservative, conservative, liberal, and civic nationalist. Regarding their foreign stances, they support the membership of Ukraine in the European Union and a peaceful end to the Russo-Ukrainian War. In its program, they stated their support for decentralisation and anti-corruption among other principles.

The party started in 2000 as a parliamentary faction called "Solidarity", set up by Petro Poroshenko, until then a member of the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united) faction. Taras Kuzio claims that this happened with the help of then President Kuchma, who allegedly wanted to limit the influence of the SDPU(u). Many deputies elected in 1998 for the Peasant Party of Ukraine and Hromada joined the new parliamentary faction. Based on his parliamentary faction Poroshenko eventually established the Party of Ukraine's Solidarity. In 2000 that party merged into what would become the Party of Regions (later to become for a period the biggest party of Ukraine) and Poroshenko became a Party of Regions deputy.

In 2001, Poroshenko expressed interest in the creation of the Our Ukraine Bloc. However, in order to receive quote in Our Ukraine he had to join the bloc with his whole party. The Party of Ukraine's Solidarity failed to break away from the Party of Regions, therefore Poroshenko decided to create a new phantom party with a similar name, the party "Solidarity". At the 2002 parliamentary elections Solidarity was able to join Our Ukraine. Top party members who received a parliamentary mandate on party list of the Our Ukraine electoral bloc in 2002 were Volodymyr Plyutynsky, Volodymyr Makeyenko, Eduard Matviychuk, Anatoliy Korchynsky, while a single constituency in Vinnytsia Oblast was won by Petro Poroshenko.

After 2002, Solidarity stopped participating in elections. In 2004, the party left Our Ukraine, and was represented by 23 deputies in the Verkhovna Rada (the forming of new factions whose parties were not directly elected into parliament was not unique in Ukraine at the time.)[clarification needed] In March 2013 the Ministry of Justice asked the Central Election Commission of Ukraine for evidence that Solidarity had not been involved in elections since 2003.

On 17 June 2013, Fatherland member of parliament Yuriy Stets became head of the party. Stets was a member of the united opposition's political council.

On 16 October 2013, a court cancelled the registration certificate of Solidarity. The party could have challenged this on appeal, but did not and was legally eliminated on 31 December 2013 "due to lack of reporting". and because for more than 10 years had not participated in any election.

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