Ivan Plyushch

Ivan Stepanovych Plyushch ( _ua. Іван Степанович Плющ, born 1941) is a Ukrainian politician. He twice served as the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (parliament of Ukraine), from December 5, 1991 through May 11, 1994 and from February 1, 2000 through May 14, 2002.

Ivan Plyushch was born on September 11, 1941 in Borzna village of Chernihiv Oblast. After graduation in 1959 from Borzna Agriculture College he started his professional career as a mid-level worker, an agronomist, and the head of a division in a few sovkhoz' ( _uk. "radhosp") and kolkhoz' ( _uk. "kolhosp") of Baryshivskyi Raion. Between 1967 and 1974 Plyushch was the head of Kirov kolkhoz and the head of Lenin sovkhoz of Baryshivskyi Raion. Between 1975 and 1977 he was in Kiev working as a vice-deputy of an oblast division ("obkom") of the Communist Party of Kiev Oblast. Between 1977 and 1979 Plyushch studied in Moscow at the Central Committee of the Communist Party Academy of Social Science. After studies he continued working in Kiev in the divisions of the Communist Party of Kiev Oblast. In 1984 he became the vice-head, and later the head of Kiev Oblast Administration. In 1990 he was elected the head of Kiev Oblast Rada.

In 1990 Plyushch was elected to the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) of Ukraine, where he has been working for 4 consecutive сonvocations. Twice, between December 5, 1991 and May 11, 1994, and between February 1, 2000 and May 14, 2002 he served as the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada.

In 1994 Ivan Stepanovych participated in the President election. He won 1.29% votes, and took the 6th place out of 7 candidates. Leonid Kuchma was elected as the President in the election.

In the 2006 parliamentary elections, Plyushch was leading the the electoral block named after him and Kostenko. The block won 1.9% of popular vote, short of the required 3% threshold, and obtained no seats in the parliament.

In May 2007 Plyushch was appointed secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council by President Viktor Yushchenko. Plyushch interpreted the Council's responsibilities to include economic, environmental and energy security as well as military matters. This made it a key instrument in the President's efforts to assert his authority over the government headed by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.

In the 2007 parliamentary elections, Plyushch was elected as a candidate of the President's Our Ukraine bloc. He opposed a coalition with the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko and he was dismissed as Security and Defence Council Secretary by the President in November 2007, shortly before Yanukovych was replaced as Prime Minister by Tymoshenko.

External links

*uk icon [http://www.pluysh.openua.net/ OpenUA: Ivan Plyushch]