Political Parties of Ukraine

More then 100 political parties are registered in Ukraine, but only a dozen or so have significant size and influence. After the last parliamentary election, parties have become stronger and more significant, the new electoral law, which gives the seats in the Verkhovna Rada to party lists, has forced parties to begin to play a role they did not play before and stimulated the growth of coalitions among parties. It means whatever parliament comes out of the election, it is dominated by the strong parties and coalitions.

It should be noted that the political scene in Ukraine is relatively one-dimensional. The main difference between parties is their pro-communist or anti-communist stance. As a rule, older people are more likely to vote for the Socialist or Communist parties, while younger people are more likely to vote for reformers. However, as in the United States, money plays a very large role in elections, and rich parties are more likely to be able to attract support than small parties.

Generally, the Communists and the so-called leftist ‘fellow travelers’ are stronger in Eastern Ukraine, in part because the economic crisis there is much worse, and in part because of the large Russian / Russianized population there, while rightist and nationalist parties are stronger in Western Ukraine. The parties organized around personalities are usually in the centre and as a rule reflect their own reformist views.

3. Give the Ukrainian equivalents for the following words and expressions:

to form the government; political position; left/right-wing; eager for political reforms; to give way to its successor; market economy; private ownership preferred to state control; to summon a special conference of trade unions; to look on as the foundation of the Labour party; at the expense of; to subordinate the power of the Crown to that of Parliament; to form an alliance with the Liberal party; some control over the economy; two-party system; groups of petty bourgeoisie; to be associated with labour; to tend to favour; social matters; doctrinal gulf; not bound to a party programme; subject to any discipline; to vote a ‘straight ticket’; candidate for one office; reasons for stability; to serve the interests of the people; specific wishes of their constituencies in mind; to have significant size; parliamentary election; party lists; to stimulate the growth; the political scene; relatively one-dimensional; pro-communist or anti-communist stance; to be more likely to vote for; leftist ‘fellow travelers’; reflect their own views.

4. Find in the text English equivalents for the following words and expressions:

Праві (ліві) партії; представляти південних плантаторів; знищити політичну владу; скасувати рабство; вільне підприємництво; приватна власність; за рахунок традиційної підтримки громадських служб; участь федерального уряду в громадському житті; прогалина в доктрині; не бути пов’язаним з програмою партії; не підкорятися партійній дисципліні; соціальні питання; не зовсім підходити американській системі; голосувати, пам’ятаючи особливі побажання своїх виборчих округів; нащадки північних європейців; двопартійна система; прокомуністична та антикомуністична позиція; виборчий закон; дозволити розквітати вільному підприємництву; відносно одновимірне; причини стабільності; голосувати за список кандидатів своєї партії; економічна криза; русифіковане населення; так звані ліві попутники; організовані навколо особистостей; стимулювати ріст коаліцій; слугувати інтересам людей; надавати місця у Верховній Раді згідно партійних списків.

5. A: Fill in the appropriate word from the list below.

Summoned, bound, oppose, significant, supported, eager, distinguish, tended, subordinated, vote, gulf, fits, alliance

1. Every member of the community should have a …. in electing those delegates. 2. The low prices still pull in crowds of.... buyers. 3. We were… to the director's office. 4. All other considerations had to be.... to the needs of the society. 5. Our state has decided to enter into the... to defend our territory against any invader. 6. The world does not... religion as such. 7. There is a growing… between rich and poor. 8. He cannot… between accentuated and non-accentuated words. 9. The theory… the facts. 10. Every county is…. to repair the highways which passed through it. 11. They … to regard the Watergate affair as a factional plot (заколот). 12. We…. their seeking office. 13. It was… to note that the story did not appear in the newspapers.

B: Fill in the appropriate proposition or adverb where necessary.

1. The committee were equally divided, so the chairman voted … the suggestion to prevent it … being passed. 2. They had to subordinate their own needs … the needs … the group. 3. We have formed this alliance ... our neighbors… the common enemy. 4. They opposed ... the idea… summoning the meeting. 5. The Republican Party founded in 1854 was interested … destroying the political power … the South and abolishing slavery. 6. Democrats or Republicans are not bound … a party programme and they are not subject … any discipline when they disagree … their party. 7. It is usual for Democrats in Congress to vote …a Republican President’s legislation, and for few Republicans to vote …. it.

6. Match the definition in the right column to the word in the left.

1. constituency	a. to choose in a formal way, e.g. by marking a ballot paper;
2. democracy	b. the programme of action of a particular party or government;
3. vote	c. a time of acute difficult, esp. on a national or international scale;
4. straight ticket	d. economic activity or a unit of economic organization;
5. stance	e. a political area whose inhabitants are represented by one MP;
6. politics	f. faithfulness;
7. policy	g. a system of government in which leaders are chosen by people;
8. crisis	h. a ballot cast for the candidates of one party;
9. loyalty	i. the art or science of government; the activities associated with government;
10. enterprise	j. an emotional or intellectual attitude; a way of standing

7. Choose a word or phrase which best completes the unfinished sentence.

1. India gained …. from the UK in 1948.

a) republic; b) democracy; c) independence;

2. In the UK, when a political party wins a majority of …. in an election, they form the government.

a) candidates, b) seats; c) places;

3. People who believe in the system, where a state is governed by representatives, are called … .

a) republicans; b) monarchists; c) liberals;

4. An electoral district or the body of voter resident in it is called a…. .

a) constitution; b) constitutional district; c) constituency;

5. What is your country’s economic … ?

a) politics; b) policy; c) police;

8. Read and say whether these statements are true or false:

1. The Labour party goes back to the Tories, or Royalists. 2. Socialist parties are left-wing parties. 3. The Whigs were the party that supported the Church and the King. 4. The Conservative party believes that private ownership and enterprise should be allowed to flourish, but not at the expense of their traditional support of the public services. 5. The Liberal Democrats are the alliance of the Labour party with the Liberal party. 6. The two leading parties of the USA are the Liberal Democrats and the Republicans. 7. The Democrats are associated with labour and tend to oppose the greater involvement of the federal government in some areas of public life. 8. The Republicans tend to favour a more active role of the central government in social matters. 9. Voting a ‘straight ticket’ means casting a ballot for the candidates of one party. 10. The traditional European terms of ‘right’ and ‘left’ are accepted in the American system. 11. Congressmen will vote strictly in accordance with their party programme. 12. The new electoral law gives half of the seats in the Verkhovna Rada to party lists.

9. Answer the questions.

1. What are the main political parties in the UK? What are their origins? 2. What political priorities do the main political parties in Britain have? 3. What kind of political system has developed in the USA? 4. What were the purposes of the US leading parties at the time of their foundation? 5. What are the differences between the Democrats and the Republicans? 6. What does the term of ‘a straight ticket’ mean? 7. How do Congressmen vote in Congress? 8. What is the main difference between parties in Ukraine? 9. What is the composition of the Verkhovna Rada?

10. Translate into English.

1. В Об’єднаному Королівстві є три головних партії: Консервативна партія, Ліберально-демократична партія та Лейбористська партія. 2. Консерватори походять від партії Торі. Вони вважають, що вільне підприємництво та ринкова економіка з приватною власністю є їх головними пріоритетами. 3. Ліберальні демократи стверджують, що держава повинна мати контроль над економікою, але також повинна бути приватна власність. 4. В США, крім двох провідних партій, Демократичної та Республіканської партій, є ще кілька партій, але вони не грають значної ролі в суспільному житті країни. 5. Люди можуть просто оголосити себе членами однієї з головних партії, коли вони реєструються для голосування в своєму окрузі. 6. Американські партії вибрали свої власні назви, але не емблеми своїх партій. На початку 1870 років карикатурист (cartoonist) Томас Наст придумав слона республіканської партії та віслюка (donkey) демократичної партії. 7. Головною задачею партій в США – виграти вибори. Кожні чотири роки партії збираються на свої партійні з’їзди, щоб створити партійні програми та висунути кандидатів у президенти. Щойно президента вибрано, партії знову стають аморфними (amorphous) тілами. 8. Найвпливовішими політичними силами в сучасній Україні є наступні партії та блоки: Партія регіонів, «Блок Юлії Тимошенко», Блок «Наша Україна», Соціалістична партія України, Комуністична партія України