Ukrainian Political Parties Finding Success Despite Russian Aggression

Ukrainian politicians and political parties have been united in their common mission to defeat Russia and preserve Ukraine’s democracy, independence and sovereignty since the full-scale invasion. This message of unity remains at the forefront as Ukraine enters the ninth month of war. Throughout this period, Ukrainian political parties European Solidarity, Servant of the People and Batkivschyna have continued to invest in developing and maintaining strong internal party infrastructures and prioritizing inclusion, especially for women and youth. These efforts remain critically important as Ukraine looks to a post-war future in which viable and relevant political parties will continue to uphold Ukraine’s pluralistic democracy and in which Ukrainians have a choice between a variety of parties united by their commitment to the country’s democratic future. Against this backdrop, and in anticipation of a better future, these Ukrainian political parties with NDI support have made meaningful steps forward and helped to strengthen Ukrainian democracy.  

Solidarna Molod, the youth wing of European Solidarity, held its annual congress in October. NDI provided strategic advice on the agenda, ensuring a focus on inclusion of young women at the congress, in addition to providing guidance on the implementation of a process for leadership transition through internal elections. The final agenda focused on the role of youth and women in the war effort and next steps for the development of the party organization, with the goal of ensuring that youth and their specific needs are represented within the party. The organization held leadership elections, with nearly half of the positions now occupied by newly elected youth. Nearly one hundred youth wing members joined the event, which was also attended by European Solidarity members of parliament and former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. The growing strength of Solidarna Molod demonstrates the party’s commitment to inclusion of youth in the party.

 Another party that saw progress was Servant of the People. Ze!Zhinky, the newly created women’s wing of Servant of  the People, held their first annual congress in early November. NDI has been advising the party on the creation and development of this nascent wing of the party. In just one year, it had shown outstanding leadership inside the party to prioritize gender equality and the needs of women both leading up to and including the period of the full-scale invasion. With nearly 80 participants, the congress provided a critical forum for women party members from regional branches to share their experiences with one another and with party leadership from Kyiv, regarding their work and experience during war. NDI provided expert trainers on topics related to developing capacity to meet the needs of citizens in the current context of the ongoing war. Party leader and member of parliament, Olena Shuliak, took the opportunity to read aloud a resolution and action items dedicated to the meaningful inclusion of women in all decision-making processes in rebuilding the country. NDI provided advice to Ze!Zhinky on the text of the resolution and the action items which are now posted on the party's official website.  The growing prominence of Ze!Zhinky is a testament to the party’s understanding of, and support for, meaningful inclusion of women in all aspects of the party.

In order to increase the party’s capacity for robust internal and external communications, Batkivschyna requested the support of NDI in developing a “School of Communication.”  Launched this month, the communication school gathers thirty party members from across the regions in an inclusive online format. Once a week for five to six weeks, training is delivered by an NDI thematic expert. The topics include communicating during a crisis, crafting a political narrative, using social media as a primary form of communication while access to television is limited, creating effective video messages on social media platforms, and identifying and combatting disinformation. Despite the ongoing attacks and subsequent unscheduled power outages, the school has been well attended, with participants actively engaged. The party and NDI agreed to provide additional make-up sessions to those who missed training days due to lack of power or other circumstances related to the war. The party’s initiative to bring together party members from across the country provides evidence of their commitment to inclusion of rural, urban and suburban communities.

Once again, the resilience of the people of Ukraine has been exemplified. Political parties are alive and thriving, building organizational capacity even in the midst of war. NDI is proud to support political parties in their efforts to build strong and inclusive organizations. The meaningful progress the parties are making is key to preserving Ukraine’s democracy and ensuring that Ukraine is ready once the post-war environment.

This project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and is implemented by NDI through the Consortium for Electoral and Political Processes (CEPPS).