Political party “Servant of the People”
Main information
“ Servant ofthe People” is a Ukrainian social-liberal political party that was legally reorganized from the political party “Party of Resolute Change”.
Registration: April 16, 2016
Website: https://sluga-narodu.com/
Headquarters: 7 Novoselytska St., Kyiv, Ukraine
Political ideology: libertarianism (beginning of 2019 — November 2019), liberalism (November 2019 — present)
Membership in international organizations: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
Allies, blocs: Trust
Party leader: Ivan Bakanov (December 2, 2017 — May 2019), Dmytro Razumkov (May-November 2019), Oleksandr Kornienko (November 10, 2019 — November 15, 2021), Olena Shuliak (since November 15, 2021)
Head of the faction in the parliament: David Arakhamia
History of the party
According to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Servant of the People party was registered on April 13, 2016, under the name Party of Resolute Change. At that time, its chairman was Yevhen Yurdyga.
As of November 27, 2018, the head of the organization is Ivan Bakanov, who has also been the head of the Ukrainian humor studio Kvartal 95 since 2013.
On May 27, 2019, the Servant of the People party was headed by Dmytro Razumkov, political advisor to President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, instead of Ivan Bakanov, who was appointed by Zelenskyi’s decree on May 22 as the first deputy head of the Security Service of Ukraine — head of the Main Department for Combating Corruption and Organized Crime of the SBU Central Directorate.
Oleksandr Kornienko became the head of the election headquarters. Mykhailo Fedorov became the head of the digital department.
According to the party’s report for the second quarter of 2018, it uses a 4 m² office in Kyiv provided by a sponsor for free, has no funds and makes no payments.
In December 2017, the party gained 4% in a poll by the Razumkov Center. In an April 2018 poll by the Rating sociological group, 9% of respondents said they would vote for the party in the 2019 parliamentary elections in Ukraine. In June 2018, 10.5% of voters were ready to vote for the party in a poll by the Rating Group. In early February 2019, the rating of the Servant of the People party in a poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology rose to 24.6%, and for the first time it was ahead of all other parties.
On January 21, 2019, the Servant of the People party nominated Volodymyr Zelenskyy as its presidential candidate.
On March 31, 2019, the first round of the presidential election took place, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Petro Poroshenko advancing to the second round. In the second round of the election on April 21, 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskyi won (73.2%).
According to opinion polls, as of May 17, 2019, the Servant of the People party was gaining 39.9%, the Opposition Platform — For Life party — 10.9%, Petro Poroshenko’s Solidarity Bloc — 10.6%, and Batkivshchyna — 9.1%.
Following his inauguration on May 20, 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the dissolution of the Verkhovna Rada and the holding of early parliamentary elections, in which the Servant of the People party will participate.
The Servant of the People party was headed by Dmytro Razumkov, an adviser to President Zelenskyy on political issues. This was announced at a press conference on Monday by the spokeswoman for the Servant of the People party, Tetyana Tsyba, Censor.NET reports.
The congress of the Servant of the People party elected Oleksandr Kornienko, first deputy head of the Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada, as the head of the political force.
The decision was supported by the delegates of the party’s congress, which took place on Sunday, November 10, 2019 in Kyiv.
Earlier on Sunday, at the congress of the Servant of the People party, the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Dmytro Razumkov, resigned from his position as the head of the Servant of the People party, which he had led since May this year. After being elected speaker of the parliament, he repeatedly stated that he intended to resign at the party’s next congress[2].
Scandalous party budget
Not a single person officially works for the Servant of the People — Committee of Voters
According to the analysis of the parties’ financial reports as of mid-November, not a single person is officially employed by the presidential political force “Servant of the People”. This was stated by the public organization “Committee of Voters of Ukraine”.
“The number 0 is indicated in the column “employees of the party’s staff.” For comparison, 73 people officially work for Batkivshchyna, 46 for European Solidarity, 3 for Holos, 20 for Oleh Lyashko’s Radical Party, 264 for Samopomich, and 3 for Groysman’s Ukrainian Strategy,” the CVU said in a statement.
According to the committee, the Servant of the People party also did not officially spend money on salaries out of the 240 million hryvnias spent on activities in July-September.
“It is difficult to imagine a parliamentary political party that would employ people exclusively on a volunteer basis. In particular, a party that does not have a paid accountant, security guards, secretary, press service and organizational department. Many years of practice show that such parties can make shadow payments in envelopes,” said Oleksiy Koshel, the head of the CVU.
The Servant of the People party uses the services of volunteers, while accounting and legal services are outsourced. Soon the political force is going to “switch to paid activities”. The head of the Servant of the People party, Oleksandr Kornienko, said this in a commentary to Ukrainska Pravda.
Five companies that financed the presidential political party in the third quarter of this year are mentioned in one police investigation into the illegal seizure of property.
Slidstvo.info learned about this from the Unified Register of Court Decisions, according to the investigation “Financing of the Servant of the People: More than 30000000 from defendants in criminal proceedings.”
The companies Web-Rotor, Leonol, Agro-Land, Eco-Pivden and Sakvoiay-Yut are involved in an investigation by the Kyiv regional police. It is a case of misappropriation of fuel worth more than eight million hryvnias. According to the investigation, a group of people misappropriated and legalized other people’s property with the help of front companies. This summer, during searches of one of the defendants’ homes, police found seals of several dozen companies. Among them were the five companies that sponsored the Servant of the People.
What these five companies have in common is that their founders are from Kherson, although the companies themselves are registered in other cities. In addition, one of the companies does not have an up-to-date phone number in the Ministry of Justice’s register. It was not possible to contact them.
These companies donated to the presidential “servant” 16500000. All of them transferred UAH 3.3 million to the party. The companies Agro-Land from Sumy and Eco-Pivden farm from Mykolaiv region are engaged in growing vegetables. A company from Dnipro, Sakvojazh-Yut, is engaged in wholesale trade, and Web-Rotor from Ivano-Frankivsk region is also engaged in trade. The Kyiv-based Leonol company specializes in trading in waste and scrap. It donated UAH 3 million.
It should be noted that from July to September 2019, businesses supported the Servant of the People party on 80000000 with a total of UAH. More than a third of this money came from companies with dubious reputations. 11 companies that financed the party in the third quarter of this year are involved in criminal proceedings.
“Back in the presidential campaign, we relied on volunteer participation and cooperated with public organizations that decided to support our party, in particular, Team Ze, of which I was the chairman. This approach was maintained in the parliamentary elections,” Kornienko explained.
According to the head of the party, the Servant of the People party is going to switch from using volunteers to hiring employees in the near future.
“We are planning to switch from volunteering to paid activities in connection with the development of the party, the opening of offices across the country and the party hub in Kyiv,” he said.
“As for the main service functions — accounting and legal services — we have outsourced these services in due time, as indicated in the report,” Kornienko added.
Party composition:
Top twenty of the electoral list
Dmytro Razumkov — former head of the party, political strategist.
Ruslan Stefanchuk — Presidential Representative in the Verkhovna Rada, Doctor of Science.
Iryna Venediktova — lawyer, PhD.
David Arakhamia (David Brown) — entrepreneur, volunteer.
Halyna Yanchenko — anti-corruption activist, member of the Kyiv City Council.
Mykhailo Fedorov — Head of the party’s digital direction, advisor to the President.
Oleksandr Korniienko — Head of the election headquarters.
Anastasia Krasnosilska (Radina) — expert of the Anti-Corruption Action Center.
Oleksandr Tkachenko — general producer of the 1+1 TV channel.
Jean Beleniuk — Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler, world champion.
Serhiy Babak — Director of Educational Programs at the Ukrainian Institute of the Future, Doctor of Science, race car driver.
Vladyslav Krykliy is an economist.
Olena Shulyak is an expert in development and construction.
Dmytro Natalukha — public figure, human rights activist.
Yelyzaveta Yasko — film producer.
Oleksiy Orzhel is an expert in the fuel and energy sector.
Andriy Gerus — expert in the field of fuel and energy complex, representative of the President in the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
Mykhailo Radutskyi — expert in the field of medicine, paramedic.
Denys Monastyrskyi — expert in law enforcement.
Danylo Hetmantsev — expert in taxation and banking law, Doctor of Science.
The list of candidates for deputies from the Servant of the People party in the 2019 parliamentary elections:
1. Dmytro Oleksandrovych Razumkov
2. Ruslan Oleksiyovych Stefanchuk
3. Venediktova Irina Valentinovna
4. Arakhamia David Georgievich
5. Yanchenko Galyna Ihorivna
6. Mikhail Albertovich Fedorov
7. Kornienko Oleksandr Sergiyovych
8. Krasnosilska Anastasiia Olehivna
9. Tkachenko Oleksandr Vladyslavovych
10. Beleniuk Zhan V.
11. Babak Sergiy Vitaliyovych
12. Krykliy Vladyslav Arturovych
13. Shulyak Olena Oleksiivna
14. Natalukha Dmytro Andriyovych
15. Yasko Yelyzaveta Oleksiivna
16. Oleksii Anatoliiovych Orzhel
17. Gerus Andrii Mykhailovych
18. Radutskyi Mykhailo Borysovych
19. Monastyrskyi Denys Anatoliiovych
20. Danylo Oleksandrovych Hetmantsev
21. Maliuska Denys Leontiyovych
22. Andrii Ivanovych Kholodov
23. Leros Geo Bagratovych
24. Serhii Vitaliiovych Kalchenko
25. Maksym Mykolaiovych Tkachenko
26. Chernev Yegor Vladimirovich
27. Svyatoslav Andriyovych Yurash
28. Pavlo Mykolayovych Sushko
29. Vereshchuk Iryna Andriivna
30. Kubrakov Oleksandr Mykolayovych
31. Korobkova Olena Anatoliivna
32. Didenko Yulia Oleksandrivna
33. Solomchuk Dmytro Viktorovych
34. Ananchenko Mikhail Olegovich
35. Kovalenko Anna Mykolaivna
36. Neklyudov Vladlen Mykhailovych
37. Krivosheev Igor Sergiyovych
38. Sergey Konstantinovich Ionushas
39. Zavitnevych Oleksandr Mykhailovych
40. Vadym Olehovych Strunevych
41. Vladimir Anatolyevich Voronov
42. Aristov Yuriy Yuriyovych
43. Kysil Yuriy Hryhorovych
44. Vadym Sergiyovych Halaychuk
45. Kovalev Artem Vladimirovich
46. Sternichuk Valeriy Oleksandrovych
47. Mykhailyuk Halyna Olehivna
48. Babiy Roman Vyacheslavovych
49. Kachura Oleksandr Anatoliyovych
50. Novosad Anna Ihorivna
51. Kultenko Artem Valeriyovych
52. Marusiak Oleh Romanovych
53. Mykola Oleksandrovych Kyrychenko
54. Halyna Mykolaivna Tretyakova
55. Pavlo Vitaliyovych Khalimon
56. Moshenets Olena Volodymyrivna
57. Saladukha Olga Valeriivna
58. Koval Olha Volodymyrivna
59. Zagoruyko Alina Leonidivna
60. Bondarenko Oleh Volodymyrovych
61. Kryachko Mykhailo Valeriyovych
62. Bardina Marina Olegovna
63. Marchenko Lyudmyla Ivanivna
64. Yunakov Ivan Sergiyovych
65. Volodina Daria Artemivna
66. Savchenko Olha Stanislavivna
67. Hrynchuk Oksana Anatoliivna
68. Kozak Volodymyr Vasylovych
69. Lysiuk Andrii Oleksandrovych
70. Sova Oleksandr Heorhiiovych
71. Boyarchuk Roman Mykhailovych
72. Vatras Volodymyr Antonovych
73. Mulyk Roman Myronovych
74. Tarasov Oleg Sergiyovych
75. Kostiukh Anatolii Viacheslavovych
76. Bragar Yevhen Vadymovych
77. Bezgin Vitalii Yuriiovych
78. Kavun Olga Oleksandrivna
79. Saliychuk Oleksandr Vyacheslavovych
80. Repina Ella Anatoliivna
81. Pushkarenko Arsenii Mykhailovych
82. Zablotskyi Marian Bohdanovych
83. Klochko Andrii Andriiovych
84. Ovchynnykova Yulia Yuriyivna
85. Oleksandr Oleksandrovych Merezhko
86. Oleksii Olehovych Ustenko
87. Kabanov Oleksandr Yevhenovych
88. Fedir Venislavskyi
89. Bulakh Lada Valentynivna
90. Petruniak Yevhen Vasylovych
91. Oleksandr Valeriyovych Marikovskyi
92. Fedienko Oleksandr Pavlovych
93. Motovylovets Andrii Viktorovych
94. Kolisnyk Hanna Serhiivna
95. Bogutska Yelyzaveta Petrivna
96. Artem S. Nagaievskyi
97. Poturaev Nikita Ruslanovich
98. Pavlo Vitaliyovych Yakymenko
99. Sokolov Mikhail Yurievich
100. Kunaev Artem Yurievich
101. Pryputen Dmytro Serhiiovych
102. Pavliuk Maksym Vasylovych
103. Mokan Vasyl Ivanovych
104. Pidlasa Roksolana Andriivna
105. Torokhtii Bohdan Hryhorovych
106. Dmitrieva Oksana Oleksandrivna
107. Shol Margarita Vitalievna
108. Kostin Andrii Yevhenovych
109 Gorbenko Ruslan Oleksandrovych
110. Zhupanin Andrii Viktorovych
111. Rostyslav Yaroslavovych Tistyk
112. Kravchuk Yevheniia Mykhailivna
113. Yakovleva Nelli Illivna
114. Hryvko Serhii Dmytrovych
115. Pavlovskyi Petro Ivanovych
116. Allakhverdieva Iryna Valeriivna
117. Vintoniak Olena Vasylivna
118. Yuriy Ivanovych Zaslavskyi
119. Andrii Viktorovych Zadorozhnyi
120. Ostap Ihorovych Shipailo
121. Ivan Anatoliyovych Shynkarenko
122. Sovhyrya Olga Vladimirovna
123. Volodymyr Viktorovych Kreidenko
124. Taras Petrovych Tarasenko
125. Mykola Tarasovych Solskyi
126. Pavlo Yevhenovych Frolov
127. Novikov Mikhail Nikolaevich
128. Podgorna Victoria Valentinovna
129. Khomenko Olena Viktorivna
130. Anatolii Dmytrovych Ostapenko
131. Tetyana Viktorivna Tsyba
132. Kalaur Ivan Romanovych
133. Hryshyna Yulia Mykolaivna
134. Rudenko Olha Serhiivna
135. Kopylenko Oleksandr Liubymovych
136. Manziy Serhii Volodymyrovych
137. Sanchenko Oleksandr Vadymovych
138. Maslov Denis Vyacheslavovich
139. Anton Oleksiyovych Shvachko
140. Kostriychuk Serhii Volodymyrovych
141. Bozhkov Oleksandr Valeriyovych
142. Artem Oleksandrovych Mykhailyuk
143. Vasyuk Oleksandr Oleksandrovych
144. Yermolenko Dmytro Yuriiovych
145. Valentyna Yuriyivna Korolenko
146. Natalia Valentynivna Laktionova
147. Tararin Mykola Oleksandrovych
148. Sverba Inna Stanislavivna
149. Melnyk Serhii Vasyliovych
150. Paliychuk Yulia Volodymyrivna
151. Dmytro Mykhailovych Slynko
152. Trigub Volodymyr Volodymyrovych
153. Roman Oleksandrovych Kravets
154. Kozub Bohdan Yuriiovych
155. Moskalenko Serhii Valeriiovych
156. Karabuta Serhii Oleksandrovych
157. Tetiana Serhiivna Perepichai
158. Fedorenko Yurii Serhiiovych
159. Kvasha Oksana Oleksandrivna
160. Otradnova Olesia Oleksandrivna
161. Kyivets Olena Valeriivna
162. Karmaza Oleksandra Oleksandrivna
163. Morklyanyk Bohdan Vasylovych
164. Balaniuk Yurii Viktorovych
165. Viktoriia Viktorivna Reznikova
166. Slobodian Olena Mykolaivna
167. Month Andrii Petrovych
168. Dmytro Viktorovych Vydolob
169. Kalina Khrystyna Andriivna
170. Rahimova Anastasia Borysivna
171. Fedorova Khrystyna Valeriivna
172. Ananyan Elizabet Garikivna
173. Bondarenko Kateryna Andriivna
174. Romaniuk Kateryna Oleksandrivna
175. Antonina Fedosova
176. Yesskov Oleksii Oleksiiovych
177. Vitaliy Viktorovych Vitikach
178. Kapustianskyi Yurii Viktorovych
179. Khomych Ihor Vasyliovych
180. Furman Vladimir Anatolyevich
181. Zhuravnovskyi Valerii Kazymovych
182. Denis S. Korolev
183. Masevych Stanislav Andriyovych
184. Rasenko Artem Oleksandrovych
185. Cherevan Artur Leonidovych
186. Tereba Nadiia Ihorivna
187. Lytvynenko Iryna Serhiivna
188. Moskalenko Diana Serhiivna
189. Tetereva Olena Ihorivna
190. Yaremenko Kateryna Serhiivna
191. Vdovenko Maria Volodymyrivna
192. Dyskant Serhii Mykolaiovych
193. Bevzan Yurii Stepanovych
194. Sipko Maryna Oleksandrivna
195. Belska Maryna Oleksandrivna
196. Mayborodyuk Pavlo Viktorovych
197. Opimakh Yurii Vitaliiovych
198. Kovalchuk Yevhen Andriyovych
199. Gribkov Serhii Viktorovych
200. Mosiychuk Dmytro Oleksandrovych
201. Chizmar Eduard Fedorovych
Scandals in the party:
- Servant of the People MP Bohdan Yaremenko conducted intimate correspondence in the session hall, ordering intimate services.
- MP Roman Ivanisov concealed his conviction for “unnatural rape of a minor”. After this became public knowledge, he left the party.
- The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office registered criminal proceedings against 11 party members, who are suspected of receiving $30,000 in bribes.
- MP Anton Polyakov released audio of conversations between other party members, including Yuriy Koryavchenkov, and the head of the Kryvyi Rih police. They discussed the appointment of a police chief in the city.
- On November 18, it became known that First Deputy Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk received more than UAH 20,000 from the state for rent, while he continued to live in an apartment owned by his mother-in-law.
- MP Serhiy Lytvynenko called the defendant in the criminal cases of the abduction and murder of Maidan activist Yuriy Verbytskyi 24 times.
- On May 2, 2020, two MPs from the Servant of the People party, Artem Dmytruk and Oleksiy Leonov, came with flowers to the Trade Union Building in Odesa to commemorate those killed in the May 2, 2014, confrontations. It is noted that in the sixth year of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine, the MPs demonstratively honored the memory of pro-Russian separatists and collaborators.
- MP Halyna Tretiakova spoke about the abuse of benefits when people give birth to “low-quality” children for the sake of social benefits. As an example of combating such abuse, she cited stories of sterilization of people who do not have higher education or want to receive social assistance.
- MP Yevhen Bragar, after reporting a volunteer to the police for a Russian TV series and “language discrimination,” advised a pensioner to “sell her dog” to pay her gas bills.
- A video of a meeting of the Servant of the People in Mykolaiv with frank conversations between the party’s head Oleksandr Kornienko and faction leader David Arakhamia caused a flurry of emotions online. During the discussion, Iryna Allakhverdyieva’s colleagues called her a “working woman like a ship’s pine tree.”
- The High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a pre-trial restraint on an aide to MP Oleksandr Yurchenko (Servant of the People faction) in the form of detention with an alternative of bail of over UAH 1 million. The assistant and MP Yurchenko took a bribe of $13,000 out of $200,000 that was supposed to be paid for a draft law related to household waste. The MP himself expressed a desire to resign from the faction and the party for the duration of the bribery investigation.
- In May 2021, MP Mykola Tyshchenko was reprimanded by the party leadership for violating the restrictions imposed by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to prevent the spread of coronavirus and celebrating his wife’s birthday at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Kyiv. In 2020, quarantine restrictions were repeatedly violated at the Velour restaurant affiliated with this MP].
- On August 23, 2021, an Audi driven by Oleksandr Trukhin, MP from the Servant of the People party and head of the party’s Poltava regional branch, failed to maintain a safe distance and speed and collided with a Ford car carrying Luciano Luci, chairman of the UAF Arbitration Committee. As a result of the accident, six people, including two children, were injured. Witnesses to the incident reported that Trukhin was quite intoxicated.
- On September 9, 2021, Deputy Chairman of the Servant of the People faction, MP Mykola Tyshchenko, used force against non-factional MP Geo Leros during his speech in the Verkhovna Rada criticizing President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the head of the OP Andriy Yermak.
- On September 23, a mono-majority of the Servant of the People faction, half of the Voice faction, and the For the Future and Trust parliamentary groups passed Bill 5599 on oligarchs in violation of the Verkhovna Rada’s regulations. After the vote, it became clear that the adopted bill needed to be amended. The MPs simultaneously took into account three (396, 398, 406) contradictory amendments.
- On December 18, 2021, Mykola Halushko spoke obscenely to police officers who stopped his driver for violating traffic rules. The MP’s driver was deprived of his license for 1 year and paid a UAH 10,200 fine for refusing to undergo a car inspection by the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv. After the incident with the MP, the Interior Ministry took the initiative to pass a law that would impose fines for insulting police officers.
Party rating:
