Block Natalia Vitrenko "People’s Opposition"

Flag block Natalia Vitrenko "People’s Opposition"

Natalya Vitrenko’s “People’s Opposition” block is the election block of Natalya Vitrenko in the 2006 parliamentary elections in Ukraine.

The bloc includes the Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine (PSPU) and the Russo-Ukrainian Union party (Rus party).

The bloc lost the elections to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine , gaining only 2.93% of the vote, with the necessary 3%.

Block leader Natalya Vitrenko at a meeting with residents of the city of Alchevsk , September 2008

The bloc stands for an alliance with Belarus and Russia , the Common Economic Space . The bloc is in opposition to the political forces represented by President Viktor Yushchenko and Yulia Tymoshenko, the bloc is categorically against Ukraine’s accession to NATO and the EU . The main electorate of the bloc is the population of southeastern Ukraine.

Natalya Vitrenko’s block “People’s Opposition” took the initiative to picket the NATO Sea Breeze - 2007 exercises , which have been held in Crimea in Ukraine since 1997. In addition, Blok held a religious procession in support of Orthodoxy , street actions “against the rehabilitation of the OUN-UPA” and a picket of the McDonald's restaurant chain with the slogans “Russia is our friend — we are the enemy, we are for Ukrainian potatoes and cottage cheese!” ^[1] .

Before the parliamentary elections of 2007 , when the parliamentary majority refused to recognize the decree of the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko on the dissolution of parliament as valid, a split was observed in the People’s Opposition Bloc. Natalya Vitrenko and her party, PSPU, began preparations for an extraordinary election, thus recognizing a presidential decree. The Russian-Ukrainian Union Party, also a member of the bloc, condemned the decree of the President and expressed disagreement with the leader’s actions. ^[2] . In addition, the Russian-Ukrainian Union disagrees with the PSPU on the referendum on the status of the Russian language and the referendum on joining NATO (the Russian-Ukrainian Union (RUS) party advocates holding such referenda. The Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine believes that holding such referenda without canceling the referendum of 1991 and under the current conditions of total falsification of the voting results is impossible) ^[3] , as well as in relation to the government of Yanukovych ^[4] .