Ihor Markov

Ihor Markov (Ukrainian: Ігор Олегович Марков; Russian: Игорь Олегович Марков; born on 18 January 1973 in Odessa) is an Ukrainian entrepreneur, founder and chairman of the Rodina Party and is a former deputy of Ukrainian parliament as a member of the Party of Regions faction.[1] Markov was arrested in Italy's Sanremo on 12 August 3, 2015.[2] He is wanted in Ukraine in connection with riots in Odessa that took place on 2 September 2007.[3]

Biography

Markov was born in Odessa and graduated there from the Odessa Institute of Marine Engineering (degree in economics and business) and the Odessa State Economic University, majoring in banking.[1] From 1991 he has a business career in oil, media and design of housing companies (some of them founded by him).[1]

Markov began political activity in the Labour Ukraine for which he was a member of the Odessa City Council. In 2006 elections, he was elected to the Odessa City Council on the lists of the People's Opposition Bloc of Natalia Vitrenko.[1] But then formed his own parliamentary group for the by him created Rodina Party.[1]

On 2 September 2007 Markov — along with associates — beat up picketers who were protesting against raising of the monument of the Russian empress Catherine II in Odessa.[1][4][5]

During the 28 October 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election Markov (officially registered as an independent candidate[6]) won single-member constituency No. 133 (Kyivsky Raion in Odessa), collecting 26.6% of the vote.[7] Markov was over 6% ahead of his main rival, Party of Regions candidate Honcharenko.[7] And thus Markov was elected into the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament).[8] Police officers had documented the use of pens with disappearing ink in at least 40 polling stations in constituency No. 133 on 28 October 2012.[7] Markov joined the Party of Regions faction in the Verkhovna Rada.[9]

On 12 September 2013 the Higher Administrative Court of Ukraine (under a lawsuit lodged by Yuriy Karmazin) ruled it impossible to reliably establish the results of the 28 October 2012 elections in constituency No. 133.[7] The court overturned the Central Election Commission of Ukraine (CEC) decision of 23 November 2012 regarding Markov’s registration as a People's Deputy of Ukraine and ordered the CEC to take measures to organize, prepare for and hold repeat elections in constituency No. 133.[7] Markov left the Party of Regions faction on 17 September 2013.[9] In the Ukrainian press he accused his former faction of tapping phones, bullied its members into voting and paying $5,000 monthly[nb 1] to its members for voting how they are told.[10][11] Markov "felt" that the court ruling that stripped him off a seat in parliament was retaliation against his independent position in the Party of Regions and his refusal to be bullied into voting how he was told.[11] Oleksandr Yefremov, Markov's former Party of Regions faction leader, refuted the accusations.[11]

Markov was detained in Odessa on 22 October 2013 after as a suspect of orchestrating the assault and of attacking protesters himself during the 2 September 2007 riots.[3] On 25 February 2014 an Odessa Court freed Markov from custody.[3]

On 24 February 2014 the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Turchynov quashed the order of his predecessor Volodymyr Rybak, and returned Markov status of People's Deputy of Ukraine.[1]

Markov did not participate in the 26 October 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election.[12]

On 24 December 2014 the Ukrainian Interior Ministry again placed Markov on its wanted list in connection with the 2 September 2007 riots.[3] It claimed Markov had disappeared on 4 November 2014.[3] Markov then became a frequently guest on Russian television, where he criticized Ukrainian authorities.[13]

Markov is co-founder and director of pro-Russian public organizations.[1] Markov wants to transform Ukraine from its current presidential republic into a parliamentary republic.[11]

On 3 August 2015 Markov joined the Moscow based "Ukraine Salvation Committee" led by former Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov (who is also a former member of the Party of Regions).[2][14] Markov was arrested in Italy's Sanremo on 12 August 2015.[2]

Notes

  1. Morkov added that Party of Regions deputies who deliver speeches in parliament received an extra $5,000.[10]

References

External links

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