“
Stages of party construction By official data The Ministry of Justice in Ukraine is currently 340 political parties. And since independence, Ukraine has experienced several waves of their mass registration. Since 1990, when the first registered party appeared, the trend was jumping.
The first noticeable lift took place in 1999: then the year was registered 15 parties. It coincided with the presidential election. The emergence of a large number of new projects can be explained by the practice of using “technical” parties for the formation of election blocks in order to support both candidates and delegation of members and observers to election commissions.
Advertising:
The second wave came on 2005when the Ministry of Justice registered after the change of power 18 new parties. This reflected the political reformatting of the country: some structures were split, others occurred again, trying to become entrenched in the new political system.
The absolute record was recorded in 2015when in a year was officially registered 73 parties. This figure is several times higher than the average rate of previous years. This was facilitated by both events related to another sharp change in power and local elections that took place in the fall of 2015 under updated electoral legislation, which became an incentive for the creation of regional political projects known as “Party of Mayors”.
Next, 2016has been registered yet 42 parties. This wave can be called inertial: in the political field there is a need for alternative projects and the search for new formats for election.
The last party with the eloquent name “offensive” was registered in 2022, literally on the eve of a full -scale invasion. Since then, no new registrations have been carried out.
Thus, dynamics correlates with key political events: the completion of presidential terms, revolutionary changes in power and electoral rules. Each of these stages launched the process of mass “party construction”, but the record figures of 2015 are distinguished as an exceptional example of a combination of all three factors at the same time.
Passive and “stillborn” Now part of the register reflects only the registered parties today. But many political forces have ceased to exist for various reasons. And the Ministry of Justice to our request provided the relevant information. The Law on Political Parties in Ukraine provides for a number of grounds for cancellation of registration, and the Ministry of Justice has widely exercised its powers in this area.
Key base – Non -Candidates. If the party does not participate in the presidential or parliamentary elections within ten years, this is the basis for the Ministry of Justice’s claim for cancellation of its registration (Article 24 of the Law). Cases are considered by the courts, and it is the court that makes the final decision. On this basis, the ministry has submitted 54 claimsof which 24 ended in cancellation of registration. The list of already liquidated includes both little -known structures and widely known names: “Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists”, “Kievan Rus”, “Conscience of Ukraine”, “Fair Country”, “Solidarity of Right Forces”. Another 27 cases of this category are in courts. What ended the consideration of three more claims, which for some reason fell out of statistics – the Ministry of Justice did not specify.
The second common basis – non -formation of regional organizations in most regions. Here the ministry filed 10 claimsand already there are court decisions on liquidation two: “Social Party of Ukraine” and “Universal Party”.
Third reason – Inaccurate information In the documents submitted for registration – 3 claimsof which 1 ended with liquidation.
In general, if you sum up all categories, now in the courts are still 34 cases On the forced exclusion of political forces from the Register. That is, the process of “cleaning” the party field is long. And the existence of the party does not mean its real participation in the political process. Many of them remain only on paper. At the same time, the number of already eliminated and those that are in the process of liquidation are comparable to the number of real and influential political forces.
Prohibition of pro -Russian forces The mechanism of elimination of “passive” parties is only part of the broader process of purifying the political field. In the conditions of full -scale invasion and martial law, it received a new dimension – a ban on political forces that threatened national security.
Thus, on March 18, 2022, the National Security and Defense Council made a decision “Suspension of Activities No. 153/2022. In order to implement this decision, the Ministry of Justice filed claims to the eighth appellate court, demanding that the activity of the relevant structures be banned. In addition, several lawsuits have been prepared according to the Security Service of Ukraine.
As a result, the court satisfied all the Ministry of Justice’s requirements: Activity was prohibited 21 political party. This list includes, in particular, “OPZZ”, “Shariae Party”, “Opposition Bloc”, “Socialist Party of Ukraine”, “Union of Left Forces”, “Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine”, “Vladimir Saldo Bloc”, as well as a number of less known structures such as “Glory”, “Glory”, “Glory”, ” The full list also includes the Communist Party of Ukraine, the prohibition of which has become a symbolic completion of a long -term debate about its legal status.
The legal consequences of the ban not only have affected the status of parties but also their assets. According to Art. 21 of the Law “On Political Parties in Ukraine”, property, funds and other assets of political force prohibited by the court are transferred to the state. The Ministry of Justice approves the relevant lists, after which the State Property Fund, the Ministry of Economy and banking institutions provide the actual transfer of assets to the state budget.
As of today, the lists of property have been approved for 13 parties. At the same time, no property, funds or other assets have been identified with regard to 8 prohibited parties.
Thus, if the cancellation due to “passivity” touched predominantly formal and malodia formations, then the ban in 2022-2023 affected the forces that had real influence and political representation in the conditions of need to strengthen the protection of national statehood.
***
Thus, statistics of registration, cancellation and prohibition of political parties indicate the evolution of the Ukrainian party field for three decades. If in the 1990-2000s the bursts of creation of new forces were primarily related to elections and changes in power, then after 2014 the processes acquired a different dimension- The mass renewal of the party spectrum was both a consequence of revolutionary events and the development of regional political projects.
The cancellation of the registration of parties reflects the tendency to cleanse the formal formations that existed only on paper. The ban in 2022–2023 was called to protect the national statehood in the political sphere in the conditions of martial law.
Analysis of the key historical stages, from the electoral “booms” of registration to administrative “purification” and the final prohibition of individual political forces, we see the dynamics of rethinking the role of the state in regulating political freedoms.
Thus, the political landscape of modern Ukraine is determined by a deep paradox. With the formal existence of more than three hundred political parties, real political competition is limited to the activities of players. This striking disproportion is not just a statistical case, but a symptom of a deep transformation of relations between the state and political players.
The evolution of the Ukrainian party field over the last three decades reflects the transition of the state from the role of a passive registrar, which exclusively legitimizes party projects, to the position of an active regulator, which defines the boundaries of the legitimate political space. Such an evolution from a passive registrar to an active security guarantor has been a number of historical processes.
However, this transformation is not the end point, but only the beginning of a new discussion. And it puts new fundamental challenges to society, including finding a balance between protecting statehood and restricting political freedoms. The answer to the question where the boundary between the model of “protected democracy” and the risk of authoritarianism will be determined by the vector of development of the political system of Ukraine for the following decades.
Vladimir Bogatyrlawyer, Honored Lawyer of Ukraine
The column is a type of material that reflects only the author’s point of view. It does not claim the objectivity and comprehensive coverage of the topic in question. The point of view of the editorial board of “Economic Truth” and “Ukrainian Truth” may not coincide with the author’s view. The editorial board is not responsible for the accuracy and interpretation of the information provided and plays the role of the carrier exclusively.
”, – WRITE: www.pravda.com.ua
Stages of party construction By official data The Ministry of Justice in Ukraine is currently 340 political parties. And since independence, Ukraine has experienced several waves of their mass registration. Since 1990, when the first registered party appeared, the trend was jumping.
The first noticeable lift took place in 1999: then the year was registered 15 parties. It coincided with the presidential election. The emergence of a large number of new projects can be explained by the practice of using “technical” parties for the formation of election blocks in order to support both candidates and delegation of members and observers to election commissions.
Advertising:
The second wave came on 2005when the Ministry of Justice registered after the change of power 18 new parties. This reflected the political reformatting of the country: some structures were split, others occurred again, trying to become entrenched in the new political system.
The absolute record was recorded in 2015when in a year was officially registered 73 parties. This figure is several times higher than the average rate of previous years. This was facilitated by both events related to another sharp change in power and local elections that took place in the fall of 2015 under updated electoral legislation, which became an incentive for the creation of regional political projects known as “Party of Mayors”.
Next, 2016has been registered yet 42 parties. This wave can be called inertial: in the political field there is a need for alternative projects and the search for new formats for election.
The last party with the eloquent name “offensive” was registered in 2022, literally on the eve of a full -scale invasion. Since then, no new registrations have been carried out.
Thus, dynamics correlates with key political events: the completion of presidential terms, revolutionary changes in power and electoral rules. Each of these stages launched the process of mass “party construction”, but the record figures of 2015 are distinguished as an exceptional example of a combination of all three factors at the same time.
Passive and “stillborn” Now part of the register reflects only the registered parties today. But many political forces have ceased to exist for various reasons. And the Ministry of Justice to our request provided the relevant information. The Law on Political Parties in Ukraine provides for a number of grounds for cancellation of registration, and the Ministry of Justice has widely exercised its powers in this area.
Key base – Non -Candidates. If the party does not participate in the presidential or parliamentary elections within ten years, this is the basis for the Ministry of Justice’s claim for cancellation of its registration (Article 24 of the Law). Cases are considered by the courts, and it is the court that makes the final decision. On this basis, the ministry has submitted 54 claimsof which 24 ended in cancellation of registration. The list of already liquidated includes both little -known structures and widely known names: “Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists”, “Kievan Rus”, “Conscience of Ukraine”, “Fair Country”, “Solidarity of Right Forces”. Another 27 cases of this category are in courts. What ended the consideration of three more claims, which for some reason fell out of statistics – the Ministry of Justice did not specify.
The second common basis – non -formation of regional organizations in most regions. Here the ministry filed 10 claimsand already there are court decisions on liquidation two: “Social Party of Ukraine” and “Universal Party”.
Third reason – Inaccurate information In the documents submitted for registration – 3 claimsof which 1 ended with liquidation.
In general, if you sum up all categories, now in the courts are still 34 cases On the forced exclusion of political forces from the Register. That is, the process of “cleaning” the party field is long. And the existence of the party does not mean its real participation in the political process. Many of them remain only on paper. At the same time, the number of already eliminated and those that are in the process of liquidation are comparable to the number of real and influential political forces.
Prohibition of pro -Russian forces The mechanism of elimination of “passive” parties is only part of the broader process of purifying the political field. In conditions of full -scale invasion and martial law he received The new dimension is a ban on political forces that threatened national security.
Thus, on March 18, 2022, the National Security and Defense Council made a decision “Suspension of Activities No. 153/2022. In order to implement this decision, the Ministry of Justice filed claims to the eighth appellate court, demanding that the activity of the relevant structures be banned. In addition, several lawsuits have been prepared according to the Security Service of Ukraine.
As a result, the court satisfied all the Ministry of Justice’s requirements: Activity was prohibited 21 political party. This list includes, in particular, “OPZZ”, “Shariae Party”, “Opposition Bloc”, “Socialist Party of Ukraine”, “Union of Left Forces”, “Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine”, “Vladimir Saldo Bloc”, as well as a number of less known structures such as “Glory”, “Glory”, “Glory”, ” The full list also includes the Communist Party of Ukraine, the prohibition of which has become a symbolic completion of a long -term debate about its legal status.
The legal consequences of the ban not only have affected the status of parties but also their assets. According to Art. 21 of the Law “On Political Parties in Ukraine”, property, funds and other assets of political force prohibited by the court are transferred to the state. The Ministry of Justice approves the relevant lists, after which the State Property Fund, the Ministry of Economy and banking institutions provide the actual transfer of assets to the state budget.
As of today, the lists of property have been approved for 13 parties. At the same time, no property, funds or other assets have been identified with regard to 8 prohibited parties.
Thus, if the cancellation due to “passivity” touched predominantly formal and malodia formations, then the ban in 2022-2023 affected the forces that had real influence and political representation in the conditions of need to strengthen the protection of national statehood.
***
Thus, statistics of registration, cancellation and prohibition of political parties indicate the evolution of the Ukrainian party field for three decades. If in the 1990s and 2000s the bursts of creation of new forces were primarily related to elections and changes in power, then after 2014 the processes gained a different dimension-a massive renewal of the party spectrum became a consequence of revolutionary events and the development of regional political projects.
The cancellation of the registration of parties reflects the tendency to cleanse the formal formations that existed only on paper. The ban in 2022–2023 was called to protect the national statehood in the political sphere in the conditions of martial law.
Analysis of the key historical stages, from the electoral “booms” of registration to administrative “purification” and the final prohibition of individual political forces, we see the dynamics of rethinking the role of the state in regulating political freedoms.
Thus, the political landscape of modern Ukraine is determined by a deep paradox. With the formal existence of more than three hundred political parties, real political competition is limited to the activities of players. This striking disproportion is not just a statistical case, but a symptom of a deep transformation of relations between the state and political players.
The evolution of the Ukrainian party field over the last three decades reflects the transition of the state from the role of a passive registrar, which exclusively legitimizes party projects, to the position of an active regulator, which defines the boundaries of the legitimate political space. Such an evolution from a passive registrar to an active security guarantor has been a number of historical processes.
However, this transformation is not the end point, but only the beginning of a new discussion. And it puts new fundamental challenges to society, including finding a balance between protecting statehood and restricting political freedoms. The answer to the question where the boundary between the model of “protected democracy” and the risk of authoritarianism will be determined by the vector of development of the political system of Ukraine for the following decades.
Vladimir Bogatyrlawyer, Honored Lawyer of Ukraine
The column is a type of material that reflects only the author’s point of view. It does not claim the objectivity and comprehensive coverage of the topic in question. The point of view of the editorial board of “Economic Truth” and “Ukrainian Truth” may not coincide with the author’s view. The editorial board is not responsible for the accuracy and interpretation of the information provided and plays the role of the carrier exclusively.