# Yanukovych shadow government

The shadow government of Viktor Yanukovych was formed on 21 December 2007 as a result of the formation of the second Tymoshenko government, following the 2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election.

## Background

Shadow governments are not officialised in Ukraine, nor do they hold any real power and significance. However, a few of them have been formed or tried to be formed before: Yulia Tymoshenko has previously led an opposition shadow government of the Hromada party in 1998, Our Ukraine had proposed to form shadow governments twice: in 2002 and 2006.
By the 2007, when after a long-lasting political crisis, which led to the snap 2007 parliamentary election, the "orange coalition" blocs, BYuT and NUNS, agreed to form a coalition government, largest opposition party in the Verkhovna Rada, Party of Regions, pledged to form a shadow cabinet, if party becomes the opposition. Despite Yanukovych's wishes to form a "united opposition government", other two opposition factions, Lytvyn Bloc and Communist Party of Ukraine stated that they would not join the shadow cabinet.
On 21 December 2007, the shadow cabinet of Viktor Yanukovych gathered for their first meeting in the former headquarters of Yanukovych's presidential campaign team, the Zoryanyi cinema building. Later that day, PR representative, Serhiy Lyovochkin refused to call the cabinet a "shadow" one, and preferred for it to be called "an opposition cabinet". Lyovochkin also added that there would be vacant positions inside the cabinet, like the culture and health ministries, which are available for the other opposition parties, in case of the opposition coalition expansion.

## Composition

The shadow cabinet is composed of the shadow prime minister, 20 ministers, and four other members without portfolio (National Bank governor, heads of the Security Service, the State Tax Administration and the State Customs Service).
| Portfolio | Name | Party | Party | Took office | Left office |
| Shadow Prime Minister | Viktor Yanukovych | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Minister of Finance | Mykola Azarov | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Minister of Economy | Iryna Akimova | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Minister of Defense | Oleksandr Kuzmuk | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Minister of Internal Affairs | Mykola Dzhyha | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Minister of Fuel and Energy | Yuriy Boyko | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Minister of Coal Industry | Serhiy Tulub | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Ministry of Transport and Communication | Volodymyr Kozak | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Minister of Labour and Social Policy | Mykhailo Papiyev | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Minister of Education and Science | Dmytro Tabachnyk | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs | Kostyantyn Hryshchenko | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Minister of Justice | Oleksandr Lavrynovych | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Minister of Environmental Protection | Anatoliy Tolstoukhov | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Minister of Agrarian Policy | Viktor Slauta | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Minister of Public Housing and Utilities | Oleksandr Popov | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Minister of Family, Youth, and Sports Affairs | Viktor Korzh | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Minister of Industry | Anatoliy Kinakh | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Minister of Emergency Situations | Nestor Shufrych | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Minister of Building and Regional Development | Volodymyr Yatsuba | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Minister of Health | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) |
| Shadow Minister of Culture and Tourism | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) |
| Members without portfolio ||||||
| Shadow Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine | Serhiy Lyovochkin | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Head of the State Tax Administration | Inna Bohoslovska | | PR | 21 December 2007 | 25 February 2010 |
| Shadow Head of the Security Service of Ukraine | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) |
| Shadow Head of the State Customs Service | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) | Vacant (reserved for other opposition parties) |