Nikolay Gaber Ukrainian political and public figure, biologist, chemist, ecologist, PhD. Date of Birth: 29.10.1960 Country: Ukraine

1. Nikolay Chabar: A Ukrainian Patriot and Politician
2. Education and Scientific Career
3. Political Career
4. Presidential Ambitions and Subsequent Political Activities
5. Personal Life

Nikolay Chabar: A Ukrainian Patriot and Politician

Born on October 29, 1960, in the Ukrainian village of Martsinovo, Nikolay Chabar is a Ukrainian political and public figure of Bulgarian descent. His parents were Ukrainians of Bulgarian origin.

Education and Scientific Career

Chabar began his working life at the young age of 17, working as a laborer in a machine-building factory in Odessa. Simultaneously, he pursued a degree in biology and chemistry at the Odessa State University.

After a brief stint as a forester in the Khopersky Nature Reserve, Chabar served in the Armed Forces from 1980 to 1982. Upon his return, he resumed his university studies while working as a high school chemistry and biology teacher.

In 1988, following the Chernobyl disaster, Chabar was invited to join the Institute of Zoology at the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, where he worked for over a decade, studying the effects of radiation on living organisms in the 30-kilometer zone surrounding the plant. He authored over 60 scientific papers and contributed to the efforts to mitigate the consequences of the disaster.

Political Career

Chabar entered politics in the early 1990s, founding the Patriotic Movement and developing the political ideology of Civic Patriotism. He joined the Constitutional-Democratic Party of Ukraine (KDP) in 1994, serving in its leadership.

In 1998, Chabar established his own party, the Patriotic Party of Ukraine (PPU), and was elected its chairman. Between 1998 and 2002, he served as a member of the Ukrainian Parliament, where he held various positions, including head of the subcommittee on healthcare, motherhood, childhood, and demographic policy.

Chabar has actively participated in the European political scene. As a member of the Parliament of Ukraine, he represented his country in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), where he served on numerous committees and subcommittees. He was appointed deputy chairman of the subcommittee on the rights of refugees and a member of the delegation to the China-Europe Forum.

Presidential Ambitions and Subsequent Political Activities

In 1999, Chabar was nominated as a presidential candidate by the PPU, supported by two other parties. He garnered 1.2 million signatures and became the youngest candidate in the race. However, he failed to secure a significant share of the vote in the first round.

Subsequently, Chabar ran unsuccessfully in the 2002 and 2006 parliamentary elections. He has held various party and public positions since 2002, including coordinating the Interparty Assembly of Ukraine and the Association of Patriotic Forces of Ukraine. He also serves as president of the Council of Bulgarians in Ukraine.

Personal Life

Nikolay Chabar is married and the father of four children and three grandchildren.