Mykola Tomenko

Mykola Volodymyrovych Tomenko (Ukrainian: Микола Володимирович Томенко) (born December 11, 1964) is a Ukrainian politician. He has been a member of Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada from 2006 until 2016.[6] In 2014, Tomenko became a member of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc, which elected him to the 8th Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada on its party lists during the 2014 parliamentary election.[8] On 25 March 2016 the party Congress of Petro Poroshenko Bloc removed Tomenko's parliamentary mandate using the Imperative mandate provisions of the Ukrainian constitution.[6] This was considered illegal by Tomenko; on 28 July 2016 Ukraine's highest Administrative Court rejected his appeal to gain back his parliamentary seat.[6]

Mykola Tomenko
Микола Томенко
Chairman of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada on ecological policy
of the 8th convocation
In office
December 4, 2014[1] – March 25, 2016
Preceded byIryna Sekh
Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada
of the 6th convocation
In office
September 2, 2008 – December 12, 2012
Preceded byMykola Tomenko
Succeeded byRuslan Koshulynskyi
Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada
of the 5th convocation
In office
February 8, 2007 – June 14, 2007
Preceded byOleksandr Zinchenko
Succeeded byMykola Tomenko
Vice-Prime Minister of Ukraine
on humanitarian policy
In office
February 4, 2005 – September 8, 2005
Prime MinisterYulia Tymoshenko
Preceded byDmytro Tabachnyk
Succeeded byVyacheslav Kyrylenko
People's Deputy of Ukraine
4th convocation
In office
May 14, 2002 – March 3, 2005
ConstituencyOur Ukraine Bloc, No.62[2]
5th convocation
In office
May 25, 2006 – June 14, 2007
ConstituencyYulia Tymoshenko Bloc, No.3[3]
6th convocation
In office
November 23, 2007 – December 12, 2012
ConstituencyYulia Tymoshenko Bloc, No.3[4]
7th convocation
In office
December 12, 2012 – November 27, 2014
ConstituencyFatherland (until April 2, 2014), No.10[5]
8th convocation
In office
November 27, 2014 – March 25, 2016[6]
ConstituencyPetro Poroshenko Bloc, No.8[7]
Personal details
Born (1964-12-11) December 11, 1964
Mali Kanivtsi, Cherkasy Oblast, Ukrainian SSR
Political partyPetro Poroshenko Bloc
Other political
affiliations		Our Ukraine Bloc (2002-05)
Y. Tymoshenko Bloc (2005-14)
Spouse(s)Valentyna
ChildrenPavlo (b. 1989)
Websitewww.tomenko.kiev.ua

Tomenko is a centre-right politician, previously a member of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc. He was also one of the leaders and most notable speakers of the Orange Revolution. In 2005, Tomenko served as Vice-Prime Minister of Ukraine in the Cabinet of Yulia Tymoshenko (coordinating humanitarian policy). In the Verkhovna Rada, he also served as the Chairman of the Freedom of Speech and Mass Media Committee and twice as the Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (during the 6th and 7th convocations).[9] Tomenko tendered his resignation as deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada on 4 July 2012 as a sign of protest against the way legislation on languages in Ukraine was passed on 3 July 2012.[10][11][12]

Biography

Early life

Mykola Tomenko (born in a village of Mali Kanivtsi, Chornobai Raion, currently Zolotonosha Raion, in Cherkasy Oblast of Ukraine) is one of the few veterans of the Soviet-Afghan War among the Ukrainian politicians. Between 1983 and 1985 Tomenko served his conscript service in the Soviet Airborne Troops, reaching a rank of Sergeant during the war.

In 1989, after his military service, Tomenko graduated from Kyiv University specializing in Ukrainian political history. Shortly after, in 1992 he obtained his Kandidat degree (roughly equivalent to Ph.D.) defending his thesis on the topic "The issue of statehood in the program, documents and activities of the present-day parties in Ukraine (historical-political analysis)."

During his student years, after initially being a Komsomol activist, Tomenko later became the initiator of the local Komsomol organization's dissolution.

Tomenko began his professional career in 1992 at the Institute of National Operation and Self-government as the Head of the Political Science Department. Between 1992-1998 he was the vice-president of the Foundation "The Ukrainian Outlook", the director of the Institute of Post-communism Society and the Institute of Politics (listed are non-governmental politics research organizations). At the same time he continued lecturing history and political science courses at Kyiv universities, finally becoming the Head of the Politology department in the National University "Kyiv-Mohyla Academy".

Political career
Mykola Tomenko seated with Arseniy Yatsenyuk, then the leader of the All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland".

In mid-1990s Tomenko began his political career as a member of "My" (Ukrainian for Us) Political Union - a liberal-patriotic group close to Reforms and Order Party. In 1998 he was number 15 in the electoral list of Parliament candidates for Reforms and Order Party, but the party obtained no seats in parliament.

In 2002 Tomenko was elected to the Parliament on the list of the "Our Ukraine" Block (which contained Reforms and Order Party).

In late 2005 he left the party over a split on whether to back Yulia Tymoshenko or President Viktor Yuschenko (at the time he accused Petro Poroshenko and other Yuschenko allies of corruption[13]), and became a member of Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc. In 2006 Tomenko became elected to Verkhovna Rada on the list of that Bloc. Tomenko was placed at number 8 on the electoral list of Batkivshchina during the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election.[14][15] He was re-elected into parliament.[15]

In the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election Tomenko was re-elected into parliament after being in the top 10 of the electoral list of Petro Poroshenko Bloc.[8] On 25 December 2015 Tomenko left the party's parliamentary faction.[6] On 25 March 2016 the party Congress of Petro Poroshenko Bloc withdraw his parliamentary mandate using the Imperative mandate provisions of the Ukrainian constitution.[6] This was considered illegal by Tomenko; on 28 July 2016 Ukraine's highest Administrative Court rejected his appeal to gain back his parliamentary seat.[6]

In April 2016 Tomenko founded and became the chairman of the “Native Land” organization aimed to "discuss an alternative public strategy for Ukraine".[16]

After declaring support for the candidature of Anatoliy Hrytsenko in the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election Tomenko became the supervisor of Hrytsenko's media strategy in Hrytsenko's election headquarters.[17]

In the July 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election Tomenko was placed in the top five in the top ten of the party list of Civil Position.[18] But the party did not win any seats (winning 1.04% of the national vote and not one constituency).[19]

Tomenko is a candidate (and party leader) for the Kyiv City Council and was simultaneously candidate for Mayor of Kyiv for the party "Native Land" in the 2020 Kyiv local election.[20][21][22] He finished 8th place with 15.039 votes.[23] "Native Land" also failed to win any seats in the Kyiv City Council.[24] The “Native Land” party was a continuation of the (2016 established) organization with the same name.[21]

Political style

Entering politics after studying it, Tomenko became a public speaker and hot issues commenter. This was criticized by his political opponents. In summer 2005, President Viktor Yuschenko became dissatisfied with Tomenko's public attitude towards coalition allies and accused him of willingness to "comment anything on Earth" and a lack of in-government team-play sense. One controversy during Tomenko's political career occurred when the 2005 Eurovision song contest was hosted in Kyiv. He openly supported the GreenJolly music group as a candidate for representative of Ukraine. This caused criticism from show business professionals that alleged a poor choice and Tomenko's abuse of Deputy Prime Minister position during the process.

Ukrainian Cultural Development

Tomenko initiated several promotional programs to familiarize Ukraine to visitors as well as the well established residents with the Seven Wonders of Ukraine followed by the Seven Natural Wonders of Ukraine and the Seven Most Scenic Routes of Ukraine.

Mykola Tomenko authored several scholarly books, more than a dozen of journal articles, and, an essay, like "Theory of Ukrainian Love".

Selected works
  • Томенко М. Теорія українського кохання. К., 2004.
  • Кудряшов С., Томенко М. та ін. Карта Севастополя: тріумф і трагедія Президентів: Фонд "Українська Перспектива": Експертна оцінка. - К., 1996. (and other research papers of this foundation)
  • several studies of Ukrainian political history authored by Tomenko and S. Sliusarenko

References
  1. "Committee on issues of ecological policy, natural resources, and the elimination of the consequences of the Chornobyl Catastrophe". Official portal (in Ukrainian). Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  2. "People's Deputy of Ukraine of the IV convocation". Official portal (in Ukrainian). Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  3. "People's Deputy of Ukraine of the V convocation". Official portal (in Ukrainian). Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  4. "People's Deputy of Ukraine of the VII convocation". Official portal (in Ukrainian). Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  5. "People's Deputy of Ukraine of the VIII convocation". Official portal (in Ukrainian). Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  6. (in Russian) Tomenko lost the court of its mandate and will complain to Europe, Ukrayinska Pravda (28 July 2016)
    BPP Congress moves to terminate powers of MPs Tomenko, Firsov, UNIAN (25 March 2016)
    "People's deputy of Ukraine VIII convocation Mykola Tomenko". Official portal (in Ukrainian). Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  7. "People's Deputy of Ukraine of the VIII convocation". Official portal (in Ukrainian). Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  8. General official results of Rada election, Interfax-Ukraine (11 November 2014)
    Central Election Commission announces official results of Rada election on party tickets, Interfax-Ukraine (11 November 2014)
  9. Opposition party demands inquiry into Constitutional Court's Oct. 1 ruling, Kyiv Post (October 5, 2010)
  10. Ukrainians protest against Russian language law, The Guardian (4 July 2012)
  11. Lytvyn:Language bill would have suited if all amendments had been accepted, Kyiv Post (4 July 2012)
  12. Tomenko resigns from post of deputy Verkhovna Rada chairman, Kyiv Post (4 July 2012)
  13. All In The Family: The Sequel, Kyiv Post (7 October 2016)
  14. They Call Themselves the Opposition, The Ukrainian Week (31 August 2012)
  15. (in Ukrainian) Список депутатів нової Верховної Ради, Ukrayinska Pravda (11 November 2012)
  16. (in Ukrainian) Former People's Deputy Mykola Tomenko created and headed the movement "Native land", zik.ua (4 April 2016)
  17. (in Ukrainian) The team of Gritsenko was replenished by two Nikolajs, Ukrayinska Pravda (17 December 2018)
  18. https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2019/06/10/7217683/
  19. CEC counts 100 percent of vote in Ukraine's parliamentary elections, Ukrinform (26 July 2019)
    (in Russian) Results of the extraordinary elections of the People's Deputies of Ukraine 2019, Ukrayinska Pravda (21 July 2019)
  20. (in Ukrainian) Two former heads of the Kyiv City State Administration have been registered as candidates for mayors of Kyiv, Ukrayinska Pravda (26 September 2020)
  21. (in Ukrainian) Mykola Tomenko's top ten "Ridna Kraina" party: agrarian, journalist, singer and politicians, Civil movement "Chesno" (20 September 2020)
  22. Rada appoints next elections to local self-govt bodies for Oct 25, Interfax-Ukraine (15 July 2020)
  23. На виборах мера Києва переміг Кличко: хто пройшов до Київміськради [Klitschko won the Kyiv mayoral election: who went to the Kyiv City Council]. 24 Kanal (in Ukrainian). 6 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  24. На виборах мера Києва переміг Кличко: хто пройшов до Київміськради [Klitschko won the Kyiv mayoral election: who went to the Kyiv City Council]. 24 Kanal (in Ukrainian). 6 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
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