Nestor Shufrych

Nestor Ivanovych Shufrych (Ukrainian: Нестор Шуфрич, born 29 December 1966 in Uzhhorod, Ukrainian SSR) is a Ukrainian parliamentarian (since 1998) and statesman.

Shufrych graduated from the Uzhhorod National University in 1992 with a diploma in history. In 2004 he wrote a thesis ""Development and Transformation of agrarian industry in Hungary" earning him an academical honors of a Candidate of Economical Sciences from the Institute of Agrarian Economics (Ukrainian Agrarian Academy of Sciences).

In 1985-87 Shufrych served in the Soviet military, afterwards he became an interpreter for a trade-revenue company in Uzhhorod. In 1989 Shufrych became an adviser of cooperative union "Retro" and commercial director of the Soviet-Austrian company "Tekop". Since 1991 Shufrych worked as a director for the Ukrainian-American company "West-Contrade", becoming its president in 1995.

In 1996 and through 2007, Shufrych was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united) (SDPU(o)) which at one point was headed by an ex-President of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk. In 2005, Shufrych became the First deputy of the party's leader.

In 1998, Shufrych was elected from the 70th electoral district in Zakarpattia Oblast from SDPU(o), the 22nd on the party list. He gathered 16.8% out of 12 candidates with 70.8% of voting in the district. At the time of elections Shufrych was a director of "West-Contrade".

In 2002, Shufrych unsuccessfully ran as member of SDPU(o) at the same 70th electoral district (Zakarpattia region) finishing third out 20 candidates gathering 9.2% of votes. He however was elected to the Zakarpattia regional council. In three months he successfully ran in the 201st electoral district in Cherkasy Oblast as a self-nominated candidate. Shufrych gathered 29.8% out of 18 other candidates. At the time of elections he was a president of the "Cherkasy meat company" and a member of SDPU(o).

In 2006, Shufrych ran by a party list from the Opposition Bloc "Not So!", being listed the 4th from SDPU(o). The bloc lost its elections earning 1,01% nationwide with 3% parliamentary threshold. He however managed to be elected to the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea from the bloc. As part of the 2006 Ukrainian political crisis Shufrych was appointed as the Minister of Emergencies and fight with consequences of Chornobyl Catastrophe in the Second Cabinet of Yanukovych.

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