Volodymyr Rybak (politician, born 1946)

Volodymyr Vasylyovych Rybak is a Ukrainian politician. He was the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada from 13 December 2012 to 22 February 2014. Volodymyr Rybak is also the original leader of the predecessor of the Party of Regions, the Party of Regional Revival of Ukraine. He is a Merited Builder of Ukraine.

Biography

Born in Stalino, Rybak graduated from the Department of Economy at Donetsk State University in 1973, eventually receiving a doctorate in economics. He served as chairman of the city council, executive committee and mayor of Donetsk from 1993 to 2002. Rybak was co-organizer and first chairman of the Party of Regions between 1997 and 2001. In the 2002 parliamentary elections Rybak was elected into the Verkhovna Rada, he was reelected in the 2006, 2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election and 2012 parliamentary election. In 2012 he was placed tenth on the national party list of Party of Regions.
Rybak was Vice Premier of Ukraine and Construction, Architecture and Housing and Utility minister and Vice Premier of Ukraine in the Second Yanukovych Government.
On 13 December 2012 he was elected Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada. He resigned on 22 February 2014 citing ill health and amidst the "2014 Ukrainian revolution".
Rybak did not participate in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, nor in the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election.