The Party of Free Democrats (Ukrainian: Партія вільних демократів, romanized: Partiia vilnykh demokrativ) is a political party in Ukraine led by Mykhailo Brodskyy.[1] It was registered in November 1999 as Yabluko (Ukrainian: Яблуко; Apple).[2] The party has about 1,000 members.[3]
Mykhailo Brodskyy, a member of the Hromada faction, formed a 14-member "Yabluko" faction in the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) in mid-September 2000.[4]
During the 2002 Ukrainian parliamentary election, the party won 1.2% of the popular vote and no seats (as Yabluko).[2]
In March 2005, the party was merged into the Batkivshchyna party, led by Yulia Tymoshenko.[5] In March 2007, however, Brodskyy announced the renewal of the party; renaming it to the Party of Free Democrats.[5]
During the 2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election, the party failed again to win parliamentary representation.[2]
In late October 2009, The party nominated Brodskyy as its candidate for President of Ukraine in the 2010 Ukrainian presidential election.[1][6]
During the 2010 Ukrainian local elections, the party won representatives in municipalities and did particularly well in Cherkasy.[7] The party won one representative in the Cherkasy Oblast Council and 14 seats in the city council of Cherkasy.[8]
In the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election the party competed in one constituency;[9][10] as it was defeated, the party continued to lack parliamentary representation.[9][11]
The party did not participate in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election.[12] In the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election the party had two candidates in constituencies, but both lost.[9]