Oleksandr Omelchenko | |
|---|---|
Олександр Омельченко | |
 Omelchenko in 2005 | |
| People's Deputy of Ukraine | |
| In office 30 September 2007 – 28 October 2012 | |
| Head of theKyiv City State Administration | |
| In office 8 August 1996 – 20 April 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Leonid Kosakivskyi |
| Succeeded by | Leonid Chernovetskyi |
| Mayor of Kyiv | |
| In office 30 May 1999 – 14 April 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Leonid Kosakivskyi |
| Succeeded by | Leonid Chernovetskyi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1938-08-09)9 August 1938 |
| Died | 25 November 2021(2021-11-25) (aged 83) |
| Political party | Unity of Oleksandr Omelchenko[1] |
| Other political affiliations | Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc[2] Oleksandr Omelchenko Bloc |
| Spouse | Lyudmyla[3] |
| Children | 2[3] |
| Alma mater | Kyiv Civil Engineering Institute |
| Signature |  |
Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Omelchenko (Ukrainian:Олександр Олександрович Омельченко; 9 August 1938 – 25 November 2021) was a Ukrainian politician who served asMayor of Kyiv from 1999 to 2006. Omelchenko was also aPeople's Deputy of Ukraine from 2007 to 2012.[3]
Omelchenko was the President of both the Association of the Cities of Ukraine and theIce Hockey Federation of Ukraine (1997–2006). In 2001, he boughtFC CSKA Kyiv from theMinistry of Defence and transformed it intoFC Arsenal Kyiv.
Omelchenko died on 25 November 2021, aged 83, after being infected withCOVID-19 which caused alesion of thelungs.[4] From 2014 until his death he was a member of theKyiv City Council.[4]
Oleksandr Omelchenko was born on 9 August 1938, inVinnytsia Oblast.[5] His highest degree in theSoviet university education system wasCandidate of Sciences.[5] After graduation, Omelchenko worked atKyivmiskbud, 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.[5] Omelchenko worked inAfghanistan during theSoviet–Afghan War in 1987–1989.[5]
After 1989, Omelchenko worked in the system of state construction, he was deputy chairman of the executive committee of theKyiv City Council, and held the position of general director of Kyivrekonstruktsiya.[5]
In 1994–1996, Omelchenko was the first deputy chairman of theKyiv City State Administration.[5] In August 1996, he headed this body.[5]
During the 1999 Kyiv mayoral election, Omelchenko defeated notedoligarchHryhoriy 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.[6]
On recordings, which were termed the "Second Cassette Scandal"[a] and released in early January 2002, Omelchenko demonstrably urgedViktor Yushchenko to have the Yushchenko-ledOur Ukraine bloc and the Omelchenko-ledUnity bloc oustViktor Medvedchuk as first vice speaker of the Rada. On 13 December 2001, Medvedchuk was ousted.[7] The recordings revealed that Omelchenko virulently opposed Medvedchuk and the Medvedchuk ledSDPU(o), which supportedLeonid Kuchma.[7]
Omelchenko was a candidate in the2004 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 theVerkhovna Rada. His program included the urgent withdrawal of Ukrainian forces fromIraq. In the election, he received 0.48% of the vote.[8]
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 mayorLeonid Chernovetskyi andVitali Klitschko, who would himself later become mayor of Kyiv.[9]
During the2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Omelchenko was elected as anOur Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc deputy to theVerkhovna Rada.[8][3][10] However, he was expelled from the party in September 2011 due to his support of theAzarov Government.[11] Omelchenko proceeded to voluntarily leave the faction the next month.[12] Omelchenko's son, also named Oleksandr, was also a member of the Verkhovna Rada on anOur Ukraine ticket from 2002 until 2007.[3]
During the2008 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.[13] HisOleksandr Omelchenko Bloc won only 2.26% of the vote, and no seats in theKyiv City Council.[14][15]
In the2012 parliamentary elections,[16] 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.[17]
During the2014 Kyiv local election, Omelchenko was again a candidate for the post of Mayor of Kyiv, again as a candidate of the Unity Party.[18][19] He finished 4th in this election with 6.1% of the votes (winner Vitali Klitschko received 56.7%).[20] Unity won 3.3% of the votes and 2 seats in the Kyiv City Council; including a seat for Omelchenko.[21][22]
Omelchenko did not participate in the2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election.[23]
In the2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Omelchenko was a candidate of the Unity Party in single-member district No. 220, located in Kyiv.[24][1] He took the fifth place in his constituency, gaining 8.28% of the vote.[24][1]
In the2020 Kyiv local elections, Omelchenko was again candidate for mayor of Kyiv, nominated byUnity of Oleksandr Omelchenko.[25][26] In this election, the party was the third most popular party of Kyiv, winning 14 seats, and Omelchenko returned to the Kyiv City Council.[4][27] However, he lost the mayoral election to Vitali Klitschko with 50.52% of the votes.[28] Omelchenko finished in eighth place.[29]
On 18 November 2021, Omelchenko was admitted to hospital after being infected withCOVID-19 that had caused alesion of thelungs.[4] Omelchenko died on 25 November 2021, aged 83.[4]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Leonid Kosakivsky (as Speaker of Kyiv City Council – Head of the Kyiv City State Administration) | Mayor of Kyiv 1999–2006 | Succeeded by |
| Head of theKyiv City State Administration 1996–2006 | ||
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | Presidents of FHU 1997–2006 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
