Reforms for the Future Реформи заради майбутнього | |
---|---|
Leader | Ihor Rybakov |
Founded | 16 February 2011[1] |
Dissolved | 15 December 2012[2] |
Reforms for the Future (Ukrainian: Реформи заради майбутнього) was a Ukrainian deputy group turned faction in its national parliament Verkhovna Rada created on February 16, 2011.[1][3] Deputy Ihor Rybakov (earlier elected on the election list of the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko), is the group's faction leader.[1] The faction supported the Azarov Government.[4] All members of the group had individually already entered into the parliamentary coalition which supported this government.[4] At its peak the group contained 21 deputies (in January 2012).[5][6] In the parliament elected on 28 October 2012 that started its tasks on 15 December 2012 the faction was not re-created.[7][8][9][10]
Reforms for the Future started as a new deputy group in the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) on August 31, 2010.[11] The Reforms for the Future deputy group stated in September 2010 that it intended to seek the rights of a parliamentary faction.[3] After the cancellation of the Imperative Mandate on October 1, 2010 it became possible for 15 or more deputies to form a parliamentary faction (a lawmaker can join only one faction; the chairman and his two assistants cannot head factions of deputies).[12][13][14][15][16] At that time, the deputy group consisted of 17 deputies expelled from the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc–Batkivschyna faction (BYuT) and two deputies from the Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc faction.[3] MP Ivan Pliusch (at the time an independent MP) joined the group on February 15, 2011.[3] Taras Chornovil joined Reforms for the Future soon after.[4] Setting up a faction without a party is not uncommon in Ukraine's parliamentary history. Several influential parties have been founded after they had already founded a faction in the Verkhovna Rada, examples of this are the Party of Regions, All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland" and Labour Ukraine.[17][18][19][20]
Rumours that the group was formed by businessmen who allegedly "fled" from BYuT "for fear of political persecution" have been denied by the group.[21] Early 2012 Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko deputy Roman Zabzalyuk was briefly a member of the group; he claimed to investigate political corruption.[6][22] He stated after rejoining the Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko early February 2012 that "They offer $500,000 for a transfer [to the parliamentary group], and then they pay a monthly salary of $20,000-25,000". In contrast, according to the deputy leader of the Reforms for Future group, Volodymyr Kapliyenko, Zabzalyuk had claimed he was "suffering a very serious disease" and the group had raised some $100,000 for Zabzalyuk to undergo surgery in Israel.[22] The day after these allegations were made (9 February 2012) Chornovil left the faction.[23] BYuT deputies claimed mid-February 2012 they had transferred the bribes Zabzalyuk had received to the Okhmatdyt National Children's Hospital.[24]
In the parliament elected on 28 October 2012 that started its tasks on 15 December 2012 the faction was not re-created.[7][8][9][10] But certain former members were re-elected to parliament.[25]
The group supported land reform, pension reform and raising of the retirement age.[4] The group stated it basically supports all reforms initiated by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych "but with corrections".[4]