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Victor BondarHead of the Renaissance Party, head of the parliamentary group Renaissance Party
Date of Birth: 05.11.1975
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Early Career in Politics and Law
- Entry into Government
- Minister of Transport and Communications
- Subsequent Government Appointments
- Parliamentary Career
- Political Views
- Presidential Run
- Criminal Case
- Personal Life
- Awards
Early Life and Education
Viktor Bondar was born into a military family. In 1982, his family returned to Kyiv, where he attended the Kyiv Suvorov Military School, graduating in 1992. He went on to receive his law degree with honors from the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law Academy of Ukraine in 1997. In 2004, he earned a second degree from the National Technical University of Ukraine "Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" in information management systems and computer systems analytics. Bondar holds a Candidate of Legal Sciences degree.
Early Career in Politics and Law
In 1993, Bondar co-founded and managed the law firm "Stalker" with a partner. From 1996 to 1997, he served as a legal advisor to the president of the Financial and Industrial Group "Sigma" (Kharkiv). In 1997, he joined the European Development Foundation (Kharkiv) as deputy director, a position he held until 1999.
Entry into Government
In 1999, Bondar was appointed chairman of the board of the Donetsk Meat Plant. In 2000, he became vice president of Ukrainian Communications (Kyiv).
Bondar entered government service in 2000, working as head of the Information Resources Center of the Department of Internal Policy, deputy director of the Department of Communications with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, and head of the Strategy Management Department of Information Resources and Technologies of the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. From June to September 2005, he served as acting first deputy minister of transport and communications of Ukraine.
Minister of Transport and Communications
On September 28, 2005, Bondar was appointed minister of transport and communications of Ukraine. At 29 years old, he became the youngest member of the government.
Subsequent Government Appointments
After serving as transport and communications minister, Bondar held various government positions:
Deputy head of the Secretariat of the President of Ukraine Viktor Baloha (September 2006 - September 2007)
Acting head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration (September - December 2007)
Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration (December 2007 - February 2010)
Deputy head of the State Customs Service of Ukraine (May 2010 - March 2011)
Director of the Organizational and Administrative Department of the State Customs Service of Ukraine (March 2011)
Parliamentary Career
Bondar entered the Verkhovna Rada as an independent candidate in the 2012 parliamentary elections, representing the 191st district in Khmelnytskyi Oblast. He initially joined the Party of Regions faction but left in February 2014 after the SBU opened fire on Euromaidan activists in his constituency. He then co-founded the "Sovereign European Ukraine" parliamentary group.
Bondar was re-elected to the Verkhovna Rada in 2014, representing the same constituency. He served on the Committee on the Regulations and Organization of the Verkhovna Rada's Work. In May 2015, he was elected chairman of the "Renaissance" party. Since October 5, 2017, he has led the "Renaissance Party" parliamentary group in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
Political Views
Bondar joined the "Unified Center" party in July 2008 but left the following year over disagreements about its role in the 2010 presidential election. He has remained unaffiliated with any political party since April 2009.
Presidential Run
On February 4, 2019, the Central Election Commission registered Bondar as a candidate in the March 31 presidential election.
Criminal Case
In December 2010, Bondar was arrested on charges related to the destruction of property and abuse of power, allegedly causing over $1 million in damages to the state. The charges were widely seen as politically motivated and were eventually dropped for lack of evidence in September 2011.
Personal Life
Bondar is divorced and has three sons and a daughter. He is an avid IT enthusiast and enjoys scuba diving.
Awards
Order of Merit, III degreeOfficer's Cross of the Order of Merit for Lithuania
Certificates of Honor from the Government of Ukraine
