Oleksandr Omelchenko

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Template:Short description Template:Family name hatnote Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox officeholder Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Omelchenko (Template:Langx; 9 August 1938 – 25 November 2021) was a Ukrainian politician who served as Mayor of Kyiv from 1999 to 2006. Omelchenko was also a People's Deputy of Ukraine from 2007 to 2012.<ref name=Liga/>

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.<ref name=782043Omelchenko>Kyiv ex-mayor Omelchenko dies, Interfax-Ukraine (25 November 2021)</ref> From 2014 until his death he was a member of the Kyiv City Council.<ref name=782043Omelchenko/>

Early life

Oleksandr Omelchenko was born on 9 August 1938, in Vinnytsia Oblast.<ref name="499467499467Omelchenko">Template:In lang Former Kyiv mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko has died, Template:Ill (25 November 2021)</ref> His highest degree in the Soviet university education system was Candidate of Sciences.<ref name="499467499467Omelchenko"/> 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.<ref name="499467499467Omelchenko" /> Omelchenko worked in Afghanistan during the Soviet–Afghan War in 1987–1989.<ref name="499467499467Omelchenko"/>

Political career

After 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.<ref name="499467499467Omelchenko" />

In 1994–1996, Omelchenko was the first deputy chairman of the Kyiv City State Administration.<ref name="499467499467Omelchenko" /> In August 1996, he headed this body.<ref name="499467499467Omelchenko" />

Mayor of Kyiv

During 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.<ref>Omelchenko overwhelmingly elected as mayor of Kyiv, The Ukrainian Weekly (6 June 1999)</ref>

On recordings, which were termed the "Second Cassette Scandal"Template:Efn 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.<ref name="UkraineRu10012002">Template:Cite news</ref> The recordings revealed that Omelchenko virulently opposed Medvedchuk and the Medvedchuk led SDPU(o), which supported Leonid Kuchma.<ref name="UkraineRu10012002" />

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.<ref name="Omelchenko7315221">Template:In lang The mayor of Kyiv Omelchenko died, Ukrayinska Pravda (25 November 2021)</ref>

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.<ref>Kyiv gets first new mayor in decade, Kyiv Post (29 March 2006)</ref>

Later political career

During the 2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Omelchenko was elected as an Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc deputy to the Verkhovna Rada.<ref name="Omelchenko7315221" /><ref name="Liga">Template:In lang Александр Омельченко, ЛІГА.net</ref><ref>Events by themes: The Ukrainian parliament session 17.02.2009, UNIAN-photo service (17 February 2009)</ref> However, he was expelled from the party in September 2011 due to his support of the Azarov Government.<ref name="expelledfromOUPDSSept2011">People's Self-Defense faction: Twelve parliamentarians expelled from Our Ukraine, Kyiv Post (7 September 2011)</ref> Omelchenko proceeded to voluntarily leave the faction the next month.<ref>Omelchenko quits Yushchenko's party in parliament, Kyiv Post (4 October 2011)</ref> Omelchenko's son, also named Oleksandr, was also a member of the Verkhovna Rada on an Our Ukraine ticket from 2002 until 2007.<ref name="Liga" />

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.<ref>Template:In lang By TEC received the results of voting in the elections of Kyiv mayor 1026 (100%) stations Template:Webarchive, Televiziyna Sluzhba Novyn (29 May 2008)</ref> His Oleksandr Omelchenko Bloc won only 2.26% of the vote, and no seats in the Kyiv City Council.<ref>KYIV ELECTION COMMISSION PUBLISHES FINAL RESULTS OF ELECTRONIC CALCULATION OF VOTES ON ELECTIONS TO KYIV CITY COUNCIL, Interfax-Ukraine (28 May 2008)</ref><ref>Block Omelchenkowhich will storm Kyiv (in Ukrainian) Template:Webarchive, Ukrayinska Pravda, 9 April 2008</ref>

In the 2012 parliamentary elections,<ref>You Scratch My Back, and I’ll Scratch Yours, The Ukrainian Week (26 September 2012)</ref> 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.<ref name=LIGA>Template:In lang Short bio, LIGA</ref>

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.<ref name=UP5514AKMC>Template:In lang According to the Kyiv mayor office 19 candidates compete, Ukrayinska Pravda (5 April 2014)</ref><ref>Омельченко выдвинули кандидатом в мэры Киева</ref> He finished 4th in this election with 6.1% of the votes (winner Vitali Klitschko received 56.7%).<ref name="votecountKMEIU4614">Klitschko officially announced as winner of Kyiv mayor election, Interfax-Ukraine (4 June 2014)</ref> Unity won 3.3% of the votes and 2 seats in the Kyiv City Council; including a seat for Omelchenko.<ref>Nine parties including Democratic Alliance win seats in Kyiv Council, Interfax-Ukraine (2 June 2014)
Template:In lang In Kyivrada are 9 parties – official results, Ukrayinska Pravda (3 June 2014)
Template:In lang 60% of the new Kyivrada is filled by UDAR, Ukrayinska Pravda (4 June 2014)</ref><ref>Template:In lang Oleksandr Omelchenko biography Template:Webarchive at the Kyiv City Council official website</ref>

Omelchenko did not participate in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election.<ref>Template:In lang Alphabetical Index of candidates in 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Central Election Commission of Ukraine.</ref>

In the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Omelchenko was a candidate of the Unity Party in single-member district No. 220, located in Kyiv.<ref name="eldistrict/424/8000000000"/><ref name="chesno.org/post/42458%"/> He took the fifth place in his constituency, gaining 8.28% of the vote.<ref name="eldistrict/424/8000000000">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="chesno.org/post/42458%">Template:In lang Transformation of the Unity Party into the Unity of Oleksandr Omelchenko, Civil movement "Chesno" (29 September 2020)</ref>

In the 2020 Kyiv local elections, Omelchenko was again candidate for mayor of Kyiv, nominated by Unity of Oleksandr Omelchenko.<ref>Template:In lang Two former heads of the Kyiv City State Administration have been registered as candidates for mayors of Kyiv, Ukrayinska Pravda (26 September 2020)</ref><ref>Rada appoints next elections to local self-govt bodies for Oct 25, Interfax-Ukraine (15 July 2020)</ref> In this election, the party was the third most popular party of Kyiv, winning 14 seats, and Omelchenko returned to the Kyiv City Council.<ref name=782043Omelchenko/><ref name="2pt001f01=695rej=0pt00_t001f01=695">Results of the 2020 elections of the Kyiv City Council, Central Election Commission of Ukraine</ref> However, he lost the mayoral election to Vitali Klitschko with 50.52% of the votes.<ref>Vitali Klitschko wins in first round of Kyiv mayor election, Ukrinform (6 November 2020)</ref> Omelchenko finished in eighth place.<ref>Template:In lang {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Death

On 18 November 2021, Omelchenko was admitted to hospital after being infected with COVID-19 that had caused a lesion of the lungs.<ref name=782043Omelchenko/> Omelchenko died on 25 November 2021, aged 83.<ref name=782043Omelchenko/>

Honours and awards

  • 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<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Honour of the President of Ukraine (1996)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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  • Honoured Builder of Ukraine<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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See also

Notes

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References

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