Socialist Party of Ukraine

The Socialist Party of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Соціалістична Партія України, Sotsialistychna Partiya Ukrainy, SPU) is a social democratic political party in Ukraine. It was part of the Verkhovna Rada from 1994 to 2007.

It is one of the oldest parties and was created by the former members of the Soviet-era Communist Party of Ukraine in late 1991 when the Communist Party was banned. In August 1991 Leonid Kravchuk as the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine signed several important documents among which was the disbandment (August 26) and later the prohibition (August 30) of communist parties. The Socialist Party was registered on November 25, 1991 under registration number 157. The first leader of the Party became the former leader of the Communist majority in the Verkhovna Rada, known as the Group 249, Oleksander Moroz.

On June 19, 1993 a constituent congress of the recreated Communist Party of Ukraine took place in Donetsk that proclaimed itself a direct inheritor of the Communist Party of Ukraine. After the recreation of the Communists a substantial number of the former Communist Party of Ukraine members left the Socialist Party. The Communist Party, however, finally registered in October 1993. In December 1993 the Socialists proclaimed to be in the opposition to the government of Leonid Kuchma and the President Leonid Kravchuk. On the presidential elections of 1994 the Socialists leader Moroz was supported by both his party and the Communist Party. The Socialist party became known for its support in the central regions of Ukraine in the 1990s and 2000s.

Oleksander Moroz lead the party for 20 years, in July 2010 he was succeeded by Vasyl Tsushko. However, Moroz was again elected as party leader in August 2011.