National Corps
National Corps Національний корпус | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Andriy Biletsky |
| Founded | 14 October 2016 |
| Preceded by | Patriot of Ukraine Social-National Assembly Azov Civil Corps |
| Headquarters | Zoya Gaidai Street, Kyiv |
| Paramilitary wing | National militia[1] |
| Membership | 10,000–15,000[2] |
| Ideology | Ukrainian nationalism Ultranationalism Euroscepticism Economic nationalism Right-wing populism Anti-Russian sentiment Third Position |
| Political position | Far-right[3] |
| Colours | Blue Yellow |
| Slogan | Strength, Welfare, Order |
| Verkhovna Rada | 0 / 450 |
| Regions | 23 / 158,399 |
| Party flag | |
 | |
| Website | |
| nationalcorps.org | |
The National Corps (Ukrainian: Національний корпус, romanized: Natsionalnyi korpus), also known as the National Corps Party, and previously called the Patriots of Ukraine, is a far-right political party in Ukraine founded in 2016 and then led by Andriy Biletsky.[3][4] Before his involvement with Azov, Biletsky also founded and led two other far-right parties, the Social-National Assembly and the Patriot of Ukraine. The party[clarification needed] was created by veterans of the Azov Battalion and members of the Azov Civil Corps, a civilian non-governmental organization affiliated with the Azov Battalion.[5]
During its campaign for the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election, the party formed a united radical right nationwide-party list with the Governmental Initiative of Yarosh, the Right Sector, and Svoboda.[6] This coalition won a combined 2.15% of the nationwide electoral list vote but ultimately failed to win any seat in the Verkhovna Rada.[7]
History
On October 14, 2016, 292 delegates from across Ukraine attended the founding congress of the party in Kyiv.[3] The party was previously registered as the "Patriots of Ukraine" (Ukrainian: Патріот України). The congress unanimously elected Andriy Biletsky, a member of the Verkhovna Rada, as the party's leader,[3][5] elected Commander Nazariy Kravchenko of the Azov National Guard Headquarters as the deputy leader, and appointed members of the party's ruling council.[5] The congress also approved changes to the party's charter and political programme.[5]
The congress concluded with a "Nation March", which it organized with the Right Sector, a like-minded far-right organization with close ties to the National Corps. About 5,000 people took part in the torch-lit march from the Motherland Monument located in the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War to Saint Sophia's Square. Some of the marchers wore or carried the yellow and blue symbol of the Azov Battalion, which resembles the Wolfsangel, a symbol associated with Nazism.[3] October 14 is celebrated as the Defender of Ukraine Day, as a public holiday in Ukraine since 2015.[3][8][clarification needed]
In 2018, Olena Semenyaka became the international secretary of the party.[9]
In November 2018, the National Corps refused to support Ruslan Koshulynskyi and his campaign for the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election, and instead decided to nominate its own leader, Andriy Biletsky, as the common candidate of the Ukrainian nationalist camp.[10] However, in late January 2019, Biletsky ruled out his participation in the presidential elections, and stated that he would concentrate all efforts "to bring our numbers to 50,000 people", and pledged to spearhead a successful campaign for the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election.[4]
As part of its campaign for the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election, the National Corps formed a nationwide united party list with Svoboda, the Governmental Initiative of Yarosh, and the Right Sector.[6] However, the resulting coalition only managed to win 2.15% of the popular vote, and since the coalition failed to pass the 5% threshold, it ultimately received no representation in the Verkhovna Rada.[7] In addition, the National Corps also failed to win any single-mandate constituency seat.[7]
In the 2020 Ukrainian local elections the party gained 23 deputies (0.04% of all available mandates).[11]
Policies and ideology
As of 2016, the National Corps advocated for expanding the role of the head of state by granting the President of Ukraine absolute authority to become the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine as well as the Prime Minister of Ukraine, ultimately supporting a transition towards a fully presidential system.[12][5]
As of 2016, the National Corps favoured the restoration of Ukraine's nuclear power status, and also support the re-nationalization of enterprises and industries formerly owned by the Ukrainian SSR upon Ukraine's declaration of independence in 1991.[5] The party wants Ukraine to become a neutral country. The National Corps are staunchly opposed to Russia and its foreign policy, and they strongly support breaking off all diplomatic, economic and cultural ties with Russia.[5] The party also opposes the entry of Ukraine into the European Union, and is vocally opposed to fostering closer ties with NATO.[13] In addition, the National Corps favours the creation of a new Intermarium superstate, which would hypothetically comprise the entirety of Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia.[13][5] The party also advocates the expansion of the right to bear arms and a public referendum regarding the restoration of capital punishment for treason and the embezzlement of government funds.[5] The party is strongly opposed to the rights of Romanians in their old historical regions, currently located in Ukraine (Northern Bukovina, Northern Bessarabia, Budjak and Hertsa region).[14] The National Corps support economic nationalism and protectionism, oppose free trade and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and also supports the cultivation of Ukraine's domestic industry and exports.[15]
In 2018, Ihor Vdovin, a spokesman for the militia wing, told The Guardian that the National Corps are not neo-Nazis and did not want to establish a white supremacist state, although he admitted that some members hold white supremacist or neo-Nazi views. The party's leader Andriy Biletsky had previously made racist statements, such as his 2010 speech calling on "the white races of the world into a final crusade against Semite-led [Jews] Untermenschen [subhumans]", but has subsequently "toned down his rhetoric" denying being anti-Semitic and expressing support for Israel.[1][16]
Election results
Verkhovna Rada
| Year | Popular vote | % of popular vote | Overall seats won | Seat change | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019[17] | 315,530 | 2.15 #11 | 0 / 450
|
Extraparliamentary |
Presidential elections
| Election year | Candidate | # of 1st round votes | % of 1st round vote | # of 2nd round votes | % of 2nd round vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Andriy Biletsky | Refused participation | — | — | — |
See also
References
- ^ a b Bennetts, Marc (13 March 2018). "Ukraine's National Militia: 'We're not neo-Nazis, we just want to make our country better'". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ "Article III: Azov Interview", The FashCast Anthology, 22 July 2018
- ^ a b c d e f Talant, Bermet (15 October 2016). "Nationalist Azov Battalion starts political party". Kyiv Post.
- ^ a b Biletsky has no intention to participate in presidential elections, but will instead lead the National Corps to parliament, Interfax-Ukraine (26 January 2019)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Volunteer battalion Azov members and former members create National Corps political party". Interfax-Ukraine. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2017. (Ukrainian language version)
- ^ a b (in Ukrainian) Yarosh, Tyagnibok and Biletsky have all formed a single list for the elections, Glavcom (9 June 2019)
- ^ a b c 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) - ^ "Verkhovna Rada initiates declaration of the Day of the Defender of Ukraine, which is celebrated on October 14, a day-off". Ministry of Defence. 5 March 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
- ^ Nonjon, Adrien (September 2020). "Olena Semenyaka The "First Lady" of Ukrainian Nationalism". Illiberalism Studies Program Working Papers (3): 2. Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ No unity among Ukraine nationalists ahead of elections, UNIAN (20 November 2018)
- ^ "Results of the 2020 Ukrainian local elections on the official web-server of the". Central Election Commission of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 12 January 2021.
- ^ Білецький: "Азов" стане партією ["Azov" becomes party], Gazeta.ua (in Ukrainian), 28 May 2016
- ^ a b "Ми намагаємося прийти до влади через вибори, хоча маємо всякі можливості" — як "Азов" стає партією [We are trying to come to power through elections, but we have all sorts of possibilities" - as "Azov" becomes party], Hromadske.TV (in Ukrainian), 13 October 2016
- ^ "Ucraina Mare le interzice românilor răpiți din România Mare limba, cărțile și hărțile istorice – Bugeac".
- ^ програма політичної партії "національний корпус" [program of the political party "national corps"], 26 October 2018 - "5.1. Economic nationalism: 'The national economy must be subordinated to national interests. Ukrainian Centrism in the economy determines the full support of the Ukrainian producer, accelerated modernization of the national economy, state support of Ukrainian exports, and the implementation of the policy of economic protectionism.'"
- ^ "Билецкий: Половина людей, которые воевали за Украину, разговаривает на русском языке". gordonua.com. Retrieved 2022-04-25.
- ^ In electoral alliance with Svoboda, Right Sector, Ukrainian Volunteer Army, Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, and Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists
External links
- Official website (in Ukrainian)