United Civic Party

The United Civic Party (UCP; Belarusian: Аб'яднаная грамадзянская партыя; АГП, romanized: Abjadnanaja hramadzianskaja partyja; AHP; Russian: Объединённая гражданская партия; ОГП, romanized: Obyedinonnaya grazhdanskaya partiya; OGP) is a banned liberal-conservative[1][2] and liberal[3][4] political party in Belarus. The party opposes the government of Alexander Lukashenko and has participated in the country's elections on a few occasions, but it did not have a single member in the Belarusian parliament until one member was elected during the 2016 elections. It claims that its lack of seats is due to the unfairness of the election process.

United Civic Party
Аб'яднаная грамадзянская партыя
Объединённая гражданская партия
AbbreviationUCP (English)
АГП (Belarusian)
ОГП (Russian)
LeaderMikalaj Kazloŭ
FounderStanislaŭ Bahdankievič
Founded1 October 1995 (1995-10-01)
Banned15 August 2023 (2023-08-15)
Merger ofUnited Democratic Party,
Civic Party
Headquarters22th Building, Charužaj St, Minsk, Belarus
Youth wingYoung Democrats
Membership (2011)4,000
IdeologyLiberal conservatism
Economic liberalism
Pro-Europeanism
Political positionCentre-right[1]
National affiliationUnited Democratic Forces of Belarus
European affiliationEuropean People's Party (observer)
International affiliationInternational Democrat Union
Colours  Red
  White
Slogan«Construct a new, keep the best»
(Belarusian: «Пабудуем новае, захаваем лепшае»)
House of Representatives
0 / 110
Council of the Republic
0 / 64
Local seats
0 / 18,110
Website
ucpb.info

Famous party members are former Prime Minister Michaił Čyhir, the mysteriously disappeared politicians Jury Zacharanka and Viktar Hančar, and Hienadź Karpienka, who died prematurely.

History

The party was established in 1995 as a result of a merger of two like-minded parties, the United Democratic Party (formed in 1990) and the Civil Party (formed in 1994).[5] The party's chairman is Mikałaj Kazłoŭ;[6] deputy chairmen are Alaksandar Dabravolski and Jarasłaŭ Ramančuk.

At the legislative elections, 13–17 October 2004, the party was part of the People's Coalition 5 Plus, which did not secure any seats. According to the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission, these elections fell significantly short of OSCE commitments. Universal principles and constitutionally guaranteed rights of expression, association and assembly were seriously challenged, calling into question the Belarusian authorities’ willingness to respect the concept of political competition on a basis of equal treatment. According to this mission principles of an inclusive democratic process, whereby citizens have the right to seek political office without discrimination, candidates to present their views without obstruction, and voters to learn about them and discuss them freely, were largely ignored.[7]

In the 2008 elections, the party ran on its own, finishing in third place with 2.33 percent of the official vote and no seats gained. As with most of the opposition parties, the UCP boycotted the 2012 election, urging its supporters to abstain from voting as to not give credence to the process.

For the 2016 elections, the party formed an alliance with the BPF Party, the Belarusian Christian Democracy, the Social Democratic Party (Assembly), the 'Za svabodu' movement, the Green Party, the BLPFP, the Trade Union of Electric Industry and independent candidates.[8] Party candidate Hanna Kanapackaja won a seat in the 97th electoral district in the Kastryčnickaja district of Minsk, making her and one other independent candidate the first opposition MPs represented in parliament since 2004. The party didn't win any seats in the 2019 Belarusian parliamentary election, and with the loss of the other pro-opposition independent, left it and the opposition without any representation within the House of Representatives once again.

On 15 August 2023, the United Civic Party was banned by the Supreme Court of Belarus.[9]

Structure

UCP has an organisation for women and a youth organisation in its structure.

In 1995-2000, the youth organisation of the UCP was "Civil Forum", which left UCP during parliamentary elections of 2000, when the UCP boycotted it against the wishes of Civil Forum. Uładzimier Navasiad, chairman of Civil Forum, ran and won a seat in Parliament.

In 2000, the youth organisation was "UCP Youth", created to replace Civil Forum, but was rather an artificial structure in the party.

From later that year until 2009, YCSU Young Democrats was officially a youth wing of UCP, but in February 2009 at the congress of YCSU Young Democrats, a decision to stop cooperating with the party was taken. Some members did not support the decision to restrain cooperation with United Civic Party and left, staying as UCP Youth.

Electoral performance

Presidential elections
Election Candidate First round Second round Result
Votes % Votes %
1994 Endorsed Stanislav Shushkevich 585,143
9.91%
 Lost Red XN
1999 Mikhail Chigir No winner announced
2001 Endorsed Uładzimir Hančaryk 965,261
15.65%
 Lost Red XN
2006 Endorsed Alaksandar Milinkievič 405,486
6.12%
 Lost Red XN
2010 Jaroslav Romanchuk 127,281
1.98%
 Lost Red XN
2015 Anatoly Lebedko Not admitted to the elections
2020 Mikalaj Kazloŭ Not admitted to the elections, Endorsed Tsikhanouskaya
Uladzimir Niapomniaščych Not admitted to the elections

Legislative elections
Election Party leader Performance Rank Government
Votes % ± pp Seats +/–
1995 Stanislaŭ Bahdankievič No data
3.1%
 New
6 / 260
 New 4th Opposition
2000 Anatoly Lebedko Boycotted the elections Extra-parliamentary
2004 160,011
2.62%
(5 Plus)		 Decrease 0.48
0 / 110
 Steady 0 Decrease 7th Extra-parliamentary
2008 125,276
2.33%
 Decrease 0.29
0 / 110
 Steady 0 Increase 4th Extra-parliamentary
2012 Boycotted the elections Extra-parliamentary
2016 111,227
2.16%
 Decrease 0.17
1 / 110
 Increase 1 Decrease 5th Opposition
2019 Mikalaj Kazloŭ 72,192
1.37%
 Decrease 0.79
0 / 110
 Decrease 1 Decrease 8th Extra-parliamentary

References
  1. Bugajski, Janusz (2002), Political Parties of Eastern Europe: A Guide to Politics in a Post-Communist Era, The Center for Strategic and International Studies, p. 22, ISBN 978-1-56324-676-0
  2. Nordsieck, Wolfram (2019). "Belarus". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 2019-11-27.
  3. Wilson, Andrew (2011-12-06). Belarus: The Last European Dictatorship. Yale University Press. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-300-13435-3.
  4. Korosteleva, Elena A. (2005). "Party System Development in Belarus, 1988–2001: Myths and Realities". In Kulik, Anatoly; Pshizova, Susanna (eds.). Political Parties in Post-Soviet Space: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, and the Baltics. Praeger. p. 63. ISBN 0-275-97344-1.
  5. European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity Archived 2014-10-02 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Руководитель ОГП". Объединенная гражданская партия - ОГП (in Russian). 2018-10-16. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  7. OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission Archived January 8, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  8. About Archived 2016-09-03 at the Wayback Machine Prava Vybaru
  9. Chrust, Jakub (15 August 2023). "У Беларусі ліквідавалі Аб'яднаную грамадзянскую партыю" [United Civic Party liquidated in Belarus]. Belsat (in Belarusian).
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