Communist Party of Workers and Peasants

Communist Party of Workers and Peasants
Founded2001
Banned30 September 2015
Split fromCommunist Party of Ukraine
IdeologyCommunism
Marxism–Leninism

The Communist Party of Workers and Peasants (Ukrainian: Комуністична партія робітників і селян, Komunistychna Partiya Robitnykiv i Selian, KPRS) was a political party in Ukraine, formed in 2001 following a split from the Communist Party of Ukraine (KPU). On 30 September 2015 the District Administrative Court in Kyiv banned the party.[1]

History

The first chairman of the party was Oleksander Mykolayovych Yakovenko. In the 2002 Ukrainian parliamentary election, the party won 0.41% of the popular vote and no seats.[2] Since then it has not taken part in any nationwide election.[2] In 2011, the KPRS chairman Leonid Grach was elected as the head of the party in February 2011; at the time he was member of the Ukrainian parliament.[3][4] Grach did not return to parliament after the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election after losing as an independent candidate in single-member districts number 1 (first-past-the-post wins a parliament seat) located in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.[5][6] His party did not participate in the election.[7] The party was again absent in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election.[7][8]

In May 2015, decommunization in Ukraine came into effect in Ukraine, banning communist symbols, singing the Soviet national anthem or "The Internationale".[9] Because of these laws, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry stripped the party of its right to participate in elections on 24 July 2015.[10] The party did not challenge this ban and was thus on 30 September 2015 terminated by the District Administrative Court in Kyiv.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b (in Ukrainian) The court banned the two Communist parties, Ukrayinska Pravda (1 October 2015)
    Kyiv’s Court terminates two Communist parties, Ukrinform (1 October 2015)
  2. ^ a b (in Ukrainian) Комуністична партія робітників і селян,
  3. ^ Ziuganov: Fees for basing of Russian fleet in Crimea not high Archived 2016-03-07 at the Wayback Machine, Kyiv Post (Aug 18, 2010 )
  4. ^ Hrach claims he has evidence of corruption in Communist Party leadership Archived 2016-01-20 at the Wayback Machine, Kyiv Post (20 April 2012)
  5. ^ (in Ukrainian) Підсумки виборів-2012: Депутати, яким доведеться скласти повноваження Підсумки виборів-2012: Депутати, яким доведеться скласти повноваження Підсумки виборів-2012: Депутати, яким доведеться скласти повноваження Results of the 2012 elections: MPs who will resign, RBC Ukraine (30 October 2012)
  6. ^ (in Ukrainian) Results of voting in single constituencies in 2012 Archived November 27, 2012, at the Wayback Machine & Nationwide list Archived 2012-12-22 at archive.today, Central Election Commission of Ukraine
  7. ^ a b Ukraine Bars Communists From Elections, Radio Free Europe (24 July 2015)
  8. ^ Alphabetical Index of parties in 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election Archived 2014-12-18 at the Wayback Machine, Central Election Commission of Ukraine
  9. ^ "Ukraine bans Soviet symbols and criminalises sympathy for communism". The Guardian. May 21, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  10. ^ Ukraine's Justice Ministry outlaws Communists from elections, Kyiv Post, (24 July 2015)
    Justice Ministry bans three communist parties from taking part in election process as they violate Ukrainian law - minister, Interfax-Ukraine, (24 July 2015)