Viktor Yushchenko Віктор Ющенко |
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Yushchenko in 2016
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3rd President of Ukraine | |
In office 23 January 2005 – 25 February 2010 |
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Prime Minister |
Yulia Tymoshenko Yuriy Yekhanurov Viktor Yanukovych Yulia Tymoshenko |
Preceded by | Leonid Kuchma |
Succeeded by | Viktor Yanukovych |
7th Prime Minister of Ukraine | |
In office |
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President | Leonid Kuchma |
Deputy | Yuriy Yekhanurov |
Preceded by | Valeriy Pustovoitenko |
Succeeded by | Anatoliy Kinakh |
3rd Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine | |
In office January 1993 – 22 December 1999 |
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Preceded by | Vadym Hetman |
Succeeded by | Volodymyr Stelmakh |
Personal details | |
Born |
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko 23 February 1954 Khoruzhivka, Sumy Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
Political party |
Communist Party of Ukraine (1980–1991) Independent (1991-2005) Our Ukraine (2005–present) |
Spouse(s) | Svetlana Kolesnyk (Divorced) Kateryna Chumachenko |
Children | Vitalina, Andriy, Sophia, Khrystyna, Taras |
Alma mater |
Ternopil National Economic University Academy of Banking |
Religion | Ukrainian Orthodoxy |
Signature | |
Website | www |
Military service | |
Service/branch | Border Guard unit of KGB |
Years of service | 1975–1976 |
Rank | Captain |
People's Deputy of Ukraine | ||||
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4th convocation | ||||
May 14, 2002 – January 23, 2005 | ||||
Elected as: Independent, No.1 |
In office
22 December 1999 – 29 May 2001
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko (born February 23, 1954) is a Ukrainian politician who was the third President of Ukraine from January 23, 2005 to February 25, 2010.
As an informal leader of the Ukrainian opposition coalition, he was one of the two main candidates in the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election. Yushchenko won the presidency through a repeat runoff election between him and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. The Ukrainian Supreme Court called for the runoff election to be repeated because of widespread electoral fraud in favor of Viktor Yanukovych in the original vote. Yushchenko won in the revote (52% to 44%). Public protests prompted by the electoral fraud played a major role in that presidential election and led to Ukraine's Orange Revolution.
Following an assassination attempt in late 2004 during his election campaign, Yushchenko was confirmed to have ingested hazardous amounts of TCDD, the most potent dioxin and a contaminant in Agent Orange. He suffered disfigurement as a result of the poisoning, but has since made a full physical recovery.
Before his election as President, Yushchenko already had a career in Ukrainian politics. In 1993, he became Governor (head) of the National Bank of Ukraine. From 1999 to 2001 he was Prime Minister. After his dismissal as Prime Minister, Yushchenko went into opposition to President Leonid Kuchma and he founded the Our Ukraine bloc, which at the 2002 parliamentary election became Ukraine's most popular political force, with 23.57% of the votes.