Yuriy Kostenko (Ukrainian: Юрій Іванович Костенко; born December 6, 1951[1] in Nova Obodivka, Vinnytsia Oblast) is a Ukrainian politician and leader of the Ukrainian People's Party.[2]
Kostenko holds a Ph.D from the Zaporizhia Institute of Engineering. In 1989, he became one of the founders of Rukh and has been a Member of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) since 1990 (except in 2006).[3][4] In 2002 as a member of Our Ukraine.[5] From 1992 to 1998 he served as the minister of environmental protection.[3] Kostenko was a candidate at the Ukrainian presidential election, 1999 where he received 2.17% of votes.[2] Kostenko was involved in Ukraine’s nuclear disarmament, which he later regretted, and in dealing with the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster.[6]
Before the parliamentary elections in 2006 Kostenko initiated the creation of a coalition known as Ukrainian National Bloc of Kostenko and Plyushch who has acquired 1.9% of the vote and did not exceed the 3% threshold of the election.
In July 2007 Kostenko and Ivan Plyushch joined together the block Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc and both got re-elected as MP. Unlike many allies of Yushchenko, Kostenko did not defected from the Our Ukraine grouping in parliament.[6]
Kostenko was a candidate in the 2010 presidential election, his party program included recognizing Ukrainian Insurgent Army veterans,[6] during the election he received 0,22% of the votes.[7]
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