Roman Bezsmertnyi

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Roman P. Bezsmertnyi (Ukrainian: Роман Петрович Безсмертний; born November 15, 1965 in Makariv Raion of Kyiv Oblast) is a Ukrainian politician, member of Verkhovna Rada (parliament) for four convocations since 1994, factual leader of the Our Ukraine party. In 2005 he was the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, responsible for adiministrative and territorial reform.

[edit] Political career

After graduating Kiev University, Bezsmertnyi became a school history teacher in Makariv. Soon after Ukraine has gained independence he switched to politics and made a successful career within the Ukrainian Republican Party, becoming its member of parliament in 1994. Later he left the party but continued his career as a parliamentary. Since 2002 to 2006 he was a member of the parliamentary Committee for State Development and Local Self-Governance.

Bezsmertnyi was one of the leaders of the 2004 Orange Revolution. After Viktor Yuschenko's victory on presidential election, Bezsmertnyi became the main organizer of the People's Union "Our Ukraine" party. The "Our Ukraine"s formal chair is Yuschenko himself, so Bezsmertnyi, as the Head of party's Political Council, became it's factual leader.