Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Omelchenko (Ukrainian: Олександр Олександрович Омельченко; 9 August 1938 – 25 November 2021) was a Ukrainian politician.
Oleksandr Omelchenko | |
|---|---|
Олександр Омельченко | |
 Omelchenko in 2015 | |
| People's Deputy of Ukraine | |
| In office 30 September 2007 – 28 October 2012 | |
| Head of the Kyiv City State Administration | |
| In office 8 August 1996 – 20 April 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Leonid Kosakivskyi |
| Succeeded by | Leonid Chernovetskyi |
| Mayor of Kyiv | |
| In office 30 May 1999 – 14 April 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Leonid Kosakivskyi |
| Succeeded by | Leonid Chernovetskyi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 August 1938 Zoziv, Lypovets Raion, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 25 November 2021 (aged 83) Kyiv, Ukraine |
| Political party | Unity of Oleksandr Omelchenko[1] |
| Other political affiliations | Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc[2] Oleksandr Omelchenko Bloc |
| Spouse | Lyudmyla[3] |
| Children | Yan (1966), Oleksandr (1968)[3] |
| Alma mater | Kyiv Civil Engineering Institute |
| Signature |  |
He served as the Mayor of Kyiv from 1999 to 2006. Omelchenko was also a People's Deputy of Ukraine from 2007 to 2012.[3]
Omelchenko was the President of both the Association of the Cities of Ukraine and the Ice Hockey Federation of Ukraine (1997–2006). In 2001, he bought FC CSKA Kyiv from the Ministry of Defence and transformed it into FC Arsenal Kyiv.
Omelchenko died on 25 November 2021, aged 83, after being infected with COVID-19 which caused a lesion of the lungs.[4] From 2014 until his death he was a member of the Kyiv City Council.[4]
Early life
editOleksandr Omelchenko was born on 9 August 1938, in Vinnytsia Oblast.[5] His highest degree in the Soviet university education system was Candidate of Sciences.[5] After graduation, Omelchenko worked at Kyivmiskbud, where he rose from worker to director of the plant of reinforced concrete structures.
He also became the chief engineer of the construction plant and the first deputy chairman of Kyivmiskbud.[5] Omelchenko worked in Afghanistan during the Soviet–Afghan War in 1987–1989.[5]
Political career
editAfter 1989, Omelchenko worked in the system of state construction, he was deputy chairman of the executive committee of the Kyiv City Council, and held the position of general director of Kyivrekonstruktsiya.[5]
In 1994–1996, Omelchenko was the first deputy chairman of the Kyiv City State Administration.[5] In August 1996, he headed this body.[5]
Mayor of Kyiv
editDuring the 1999 Kyiv mayoral election, Omelchenko defeated noted oligarch Hryhoriy Surkis, with 76 percent of the vote to Surkis's 16 percent. Omelchenko became the first elected mayor in Ukraine's modern history, with a platform highlighting his work in restoring much of Kyiv's historic buildings and renovating parts of downtown Kyiv.[6]
On recordings, which were termed the "Second Cassette Scandal"[a] and released in early January 2002, Omelchenko demonstrably urged Viktor Yushchenko to have the Yushchenko-led Our Ukraine bloc and the Omelchenko-led Unity bloc oust Viktor Medvedchuk as first vice speaker of the Rada. On 13 December 2001, Medvedchuk was ousted.[7] The recordings revealed that Omelchenko virulently opposed Medvedchuk and the Medvedchuk led SDPU(o), which supported Leonid Kuchma.[7]
Omelchenko was a candidate in the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election, nominated by the Unity Party, which he formerly chaired. Omelchenko was the only candidate for President whose son was a deputy in the Verkhovna Rada. His program included the urgent withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Iraq. In the election, he received 0.48% of the vote.[8]
While he was running for a third term as Mayor of Kyiv in what was expected to be an easy victory in the March 2006 election, he was soundly defeated, with 21% of the votes behind elected mayor Leonid Chernovetskyi and Vitali Klitschko, who would himself later become mayor of Kyiv.[9]
Later political career
editDuring the 2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Omelchenko was elected as an Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc deputy to the Verkhovna Rada.[8][3][10] However, he was expelled from the party in September 2011 due to his support of the Azarov Government.[11] Omelchenko proceeded to voluntarily leave the faction the next month.[12] Omelchenko's son, also named Oleksandr, was also a member of the Verkhovna Rada on an Our Ukraine ticket from 2002 until 2007.[3]
During the 2008 Kyiv local election, Omelchenko was again a candidate for the post of Mayor of Kyiv, but he only garnered 2.53% of the vote, placing sixth behind incumbent mayor Leonid Chernovetskyi.[13] His Oleksandr Omelchenko Bloc won only 2.26% of the vote, and no seats in the Kyiv City Council.[14][15]
In the 2012 parliamentary elections,[16] Omelchenko at first intended to attempt to be re-elected into parliament in single-member districts number 220 situated in Kyiv; but he withdrew from the elections.[17]
During the 2014 Kyiv local election, Omelchenko was again a candidate for the post of Mayor of Kyiv, again as a candidate of the Unity Party.[18][19] He finished 4th in this election with 6.1% of the votes (winner Vitali Klitschko received 56.7%).[20] Unity won 3.3% of the votes and 2 seats in the Kyiv City Council; including a seat for Omelchenko.[21][22]
Omelchenko did not participate in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election.[23]
In the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Omelchenko was a candidate of the Unity Party in single-member district No. 220, located in Kyiv.[24][1] He took the fifth place in his constituency, gaining 8.28% of the vote.[24][1]
In the 2020 Kyiv local elections, Omelchenko was again candidate for mayor of Kyiv, nominated by Unity of Oleksandr Omelchenko.[25][26] In this election, the party was the third most popular party of Kyiv, winning 14 seats, and Omelchenko returned to the Kyiv City Council.[4][27] However, he lost the mayoral election to Vitali Klitschko with 50.52% of the votes.[28] Omelchenko finished in eighth place.[29]
Death
editOn 18 November 2021, Omelchenko was admitted to hospital after being infected with COVID-19 that had caused a lesion of the lungs.[4] Omelchenko died on 25 November 2021, aged 83.[4]
Honours and awards
edit- Hero of Ukraine (21 August 2001) for outstanding personal contribution to the Ukrainian state in the socio-economic and cultural development of the capital of Ukraine[30]
- Order of the Badge of Honour (1982)[31]
- Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1986)[31]
- Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 3rd (2006), 4th (1999) and 5th (1998) classes[32][33][34]
- Honour of the President of Ukraine (1996)[35]
- Honoured Builder of Ukraine[36]
- Knight Commander, Order of St. Gregory the Great (2001)[37]
- Honorary doctorate of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (2001)[31]
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ After the original Cassette scandal.
References
edit- ^ a b c (in Ukrainian) Transformation of the Unity Party into the Unity of Oleksandr Omelchenko, Civil movement "Chesno" (29 September 2020)
- ^ (in Ukrainian) Official Verkhovna Rada website profile via Wayback Machine, original link no longer available via Official Verkhovna Rada website profile, Verkhovna Rada
- ^ a b c d e (in Russian) Александр Омельченко, ЛІГА.net
- ^ a b c d e Kyiv ex-mayor Omelchenko dies, Interfax-Ukraine (25 November 2021)
- ^ a b c d e f g (in Ukrainian) Former Kyiv mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko has died, Lb.ua (25 November 2021)
- ^ Omelchenko overwhelmingly elected as mayor of Kyiv, The Ukrainian Weekly (6 June 1999)
- ^ a b "Кассетный скандал-2: "как тот такой же, так и этот"" [Cassette Scandal-2: "like that one is the same, so is this one"]. Україна.ru (ukraine.ru) (in Russian). 10 January 2002. Archived from the original on 18 January 2002. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- ^ a b (in Ukrainian) The mayor of Kyiv Omelchenko died, Ukrayinska Pravda (25 November 2021)
- ^ Kyiv gets first new mayor in decade, Kyiv Post (29 March 2006)
- ^ Events by themes: The Ukrainian parliament session 17.02.2009, UNIAN-photo service (17 February 2009)
- ^ People's Self-Defense faction: Twelve parliamentarians expelled from Our Ukraine, Kyiv Post (7 September 2011)
- ^ Omelchenko quits Yushchenko's party in parliament, Kyiv Post (4 October 2011)
- ^ (in Ukrainian) By TEC received the results of voting in the elections of Kyiv mayor 1026 (100%) stations Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Televiziyna Sluzhba Novyn (29 May 2008)
- ^ KYIV ELECTION COMMISSION PUBLISHES FINAL RESULTS OF ELECTRONIC CALCULATION OF VOTES ON ELECTIONS TO KYIV CITY COUNCIL, Interfax-Ukraine (28 May 2008)
- ^ Block Omelchenkowhich will storm Kyiv (in Ukrainian) Archived 13 February 2019 at the Wayback Machine, Ukrayinska Pravda, 9 April 2008
- ^ You Scratch My Back, and I’ll Scratch Yours, The Ukrainian Week (26 September 2012)
- ^ (in Russian) Short bio, LIGA
- ^ (in Ukrainian) According to the Kyiv mayor office 19 candidates compete, Ukrayinska Pravda (5 April 2014)
- ^ Омельченко выдвинули кандидатом в мэры Киева
- ^ Klitschko officially announced as winner of Kyiv mayor election, Interfax-Ukraine (4 June 2014)
- ^ Nine parties including Democratic Alliance win seats in Kyiv Council, Interfax-Ukraine (2 June 2014)
(in Ukrainian) In Kyivrada are 9 parties – official results, Ukrayinska Pravda (3 June 2014)
(in Ukrainian) 60% of the new Kyivrada is filled by UDAR, Ukrayinska Pravda (4 June 2014) - ^ (in Ukrainian) Oleksandr Omelchenko biography Archived 20 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine at the Kyiv City Council official website
- ^ (in Ukrainian) Alphabetical Index of candidates in 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Central Election Commission of Ukraine.
- ^ a b "Електоральна пам'ять". ukr.vote.
- ^ (in Ukrainian) Two former heads of the Kyiv City State Administration have been registered as candidates for mayors of Kyiv, Ukrayinska Pravda (26 September 2020)
- ^ Rada appoints next elections to local self-govt bodies for Oct 25, Interfax-Ukraine (15 July 2020)
- ^ Results of the 2020 elections of the Kyiv City Council, Central Election Commission of Ukraine
- ^ Vitali Klitschko wins in first round of Kyiv mayor election, Ukrinform (6 November 2020)
- ^ (in Ukrainian) "Officially: Klitschko became mayor of Kyiv again". glavkom.ua (in Ukrainian). 29 September 2020.
- ^ "Про присвоєння звання Герой України". Офіційний вебпортал парламенту України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ a b c "Омельченко Олександр Олександрович". KYIV CITY COUNCIL (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Про нагородження відзнакою Президента України "Орден князя Ярослава Мудрого"". Офіційний вебпортал парламенту України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Про відзначення нагородами України з нагоди 8-ї річниці незалежності України". Офіційний вебпортал парламенту України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Про відзначення державними нагородами України". Офіційний вебпортал парламенту України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Про нагородження Почесною відзнакою Президента України". Офіційний вебпортал парламенту України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Про присвоєння почесних звань України працівникам будівництва та будівельної індустрії м. Києва". Офіційний вебпортал парламенту України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Папа Римський видав ордени Литвину, Радченку, Дагаєву і т.д." Українська правда (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 25 November 2021.