Viktor Pynzenyk

Viktor Mykhailovych Pynzenyk (Ukrainian: Віктор Михайлович Пинзеник) (born April 15, 1954 in Smolohovytsia, Zakarpattia Oblast) is a Ukrainian politician, economist, and former Minister of Finance. He is the former leader of the Reforms and Order Party.[2][3]

Viktor Pynzenyk Віктор Пинзеник
Minister of Finance of Ukraine
In office December 18, 2007 – February 17, 2009
Preceded by	Mykola Azarov
Succeeded by	Ihor Umansky (Acting)
In office February 4, 2005 – September 28, 2005 September 28, 2005 – August 2006
Preceded by	Mykola Azarov
Succeeded by	Mykola Azarov
First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine
In office October 31, 1994 – September 5, 1995
Preceded by	Yevhen Marchuk
Succeeded by	Pavlo Lazarenko
Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine
In office August 3, 1995 – September 21, 1996 September 21, 1996 – April 7, 1997
Personal details
Born	(1954-04-15) April 15, 1954 Smolohovytsia, Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union[1]
Political party	Non affiliated
Other political affiliations	Unaffiliated (since 2010 and before 2002)[2] Reforms and Order Party (1997-2010)[3]
Spouse(s)	Maria Romanivna (1969)[3]
Children	Olga (1981), Yulia (1989), and Volodymyr (1993)[3]
Occupation	Politician, economist and professor

Pynzenyk has been credited with economic reform in post-Soviet Ukraine, helping to transform the country into a market economy and introducing Ukraine's new currency, the hryvnia in September 1996, with the help of Viktor Yushchenko, at the time Chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine.[4]

Early life

Viktor Pynzenyk was born on April 15, 1954 in Smolohovytsia, in the westernmost Zakarpattia Oblast (province) of the Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine) to Mykhailo and Mariya Pynzenyk. After completing his secondary education, Pynzenyk studied at the Lviv State University, from which he graduated in 1975 as an economist.[3] He stayed on in the same university until 1979 for the post-graduate work on his dissertation in Economics which he defended in 1980 receiving the degree of Candidate of Science (roughly Ph.D. equivalent). He continued his scientific work in the Moscow State University where he received his Doktor of Science degree in 1989.[3] A year later, Pynzenyk became a professor of economics at his alma mater—the Lviv University.[3]

In 1996 he received an honorary doctorate from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

Political and economic career

Pynzenyk was sworn into Ukrainian parliament on January 4, 1992,[5] and soon afterwards became a member of the economic reforms working group. Later that year, he became the Vice-Prime Minister of Ukraine as well as the Minister of Economy.[3][6] As minister, Pynzenyk introduced the first economic reforms in the newly independent Ukraine, helping transform the country into a market economy.[4]

In March 1992, Pynzenyk was elected to the second convocation of the parliament as part of the "Reforms" faction, serving his mandate until April 1998.[3] As an MP, he participated in the finance and banking work group.[3] From October 31, 1994 until September 5, 1995, he served as the country's First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine,[7] and from August 3, 1995 to April 7, 1997—as the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine.

Viktor was elected to Verkhovna Rada for the third time in the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary election serving from March 1998 until the next election in 2002.[3] In 2002, Pynzenyk was elected as part of the "Our Ukraine" electoral bloc. Three years later, after the Orange Revolution, Pynzenyk was chosen as the Minister of Economy[8] on February 4, 2005, and served his post until August 2006. Then on November 3, 2007, he became a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of the sixth convocation as a member of the Reforms and Order Party, which participated in the elections as part of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc.[3]

Viktor Pynzenyk served as the Minister of Finance of Ukraine in the Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's Cabinet, elected on December 18, 2007. He offered his resignation on February 12, 2008 because he could not abandon the principles of a balanced budget with a minimum deficit, realistic revenue sources and limits on government borrowing.[9] The Ukrainian Parliament still has to support this resignation.[10] Tymoshenko's reaction to his resignation was: "Not all officials can withstand the challenges of a global economic crisis, not all of them can work under pressure, and respond adequately to challenges. The weakest leave their combat posts and turn to other activities", Tymoshenko also stated: "He was in hospital and was not working for health reasons".[11] President Viktor Yushchenko's reaction to Pynzenyk's resignation was of a different nature: "It is a pity that such people – professional, honest and devoted to state interests are unable to realize their potential being members of the Government, losing such voice is a great misunderstanding and unprofessional policy of the Government. I am assured that the whole range of negative processes in budgetary policy will follow".[12] Pynzenyk, in conversation with United States Ambassador to Ukraine John F. Tefft at a meeting on February 22, 2010 showed "frustration at his inability to convince Tymosehnko to take advantage of the opportunity presented by the 2008–2009 Ukrainian financial crisis to reform” (according to Tefft) and called Tymoshenko's decisions “normally guided by ‘adventurous populism,’” which she saw as a tool to “consolidate power in her own hands.”[13]

On February 17, 2009 the Verkhovna Rada officially dismissed Pynzenyk.[14] Pynzenyk was absent from the voting as he was in hospital.[15]

Pynzenyk withdrawaled from the Reforms and Order Party in April 2010.[2]

Pynzenyk was appointed deputy chairman of the supervisory council of UkrSibbank in February 2011.[16]

Pynzenyk returned to national politics as number 7 on the party list of UDAR of Vitaliy Klychko for the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election.[17][18] He was (re-)elected into parliament.[19]

In the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election he was again re-elected into parliament; this time after placing 17th on the electoral list of Petro Poroshenko Bloc.[20][21]

Personal life

Despite his career in politics, Viktor Pynzenyk remains a professor at the Lviv University. He has been named an honorary professor of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, and the Economics Institute of Ternopil. Additionally, he has been named an "Honored Economist of Ukraine" (as of 2004).[22]

Viktor Pynzenyk is married to Mariya Romanivna (b. 1969), and they have two children:sons Volodymyr (b. 1993) and Vitaliy (b. 2007). He also has two daughters from the previous marriage Olga (b. 1981) and Yulia (b. 1989). Pynzenyk's hobbies include tourism, an interest in music, as well as playing the preferans game.[3] His income declaration for 2006 constituted 265,200 hryvnias ($53,000).[23] He drives a Toyota RAV4 and a Toyota 4Runner.[23]

See also

• Ukrainian Christian Democratic Party

References and footnotes

1. "76th place Pinzenik Viktor". Korrespondent (in Russian). Retrieved 2007-12-19.
2. "Pynzenyk: Coming out of the PRP, I broke the site, which was uncomfortable for me". Ukrayinska Pravda (in Ukrainian). Retrieved April 2, 2010.
3. "Pynzenyk Viktor Mykhailovych". dovidka.com.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2007-12-20.
4. Zawadzki, Sabina (December 18, 2007). "FACTBOX: Five facts about new Ukraine finmin Pynzenyk". Reuters. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
5. Laws of Ukraine. Order of the Verkhovna Rada No. 2030-XII: On the recognition of official duties of the national deputies of Ukraine Pynzenyk V.M. and Zaiyats O.S.. Adopted on 1992-01-04. (Ukrainian)
6. Laws of Ukraine. Order of the President of Ukraine No. 520/92: On the Vice-Prime Minister of Ukraine with a commitment to economic reforms, Minister of Economy of Ukraine. Adopted on 1992-10-27. (Ukrainian)
7. Laws of Ukraine. Order of the President of Ukraine No. 646/94: On V. Pynzenyk attaining the status of First Vice-Prime Minister of Ukraine. Adopted on 1994-10-31. (Ukrainian)
8. Laws of Ukraine. Order of the President of Ukraine No. 162/2005: On V. Pynzenyk attaining the status of Minister of Finance of Ukraine. Adopted on 2005-04-02. (Ukrainian)
9. Ukrainian Finance Minister Pynzenyk offers resignation Archived July 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Interfax-Ukraine (February 12, 2008)
10. Parliament to vote for Pynzenyk's resignation, says Lytvyn Archived July 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Interfax-Ukraine (February 12, 2008)
11. New finance minister to be appointed soon, says Ukrainian PM Archived July 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Interfax-Ukraine (February 12, 2008)
12. Finance Minister's resignation is a deed of a man with principles - Yushchenko, UNIAN (February 18, 2009)
13. Pynzenyk, ex-finance minister, calls Tymoshenko ‘destructive force’, Kyiv Post (December 3, 2010)
14. Rada Removes Pynzenyk, Ukrainian News Agency (February 17, 2009)
15. Rada accepts Finance Minister Pynzenyk's resignation Archived July 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Interfax-Ukraine (February 17, 2009)
16. On the move: Viktor Pynzenyk, UkrSibbank, Kyiv Post (February 10, 2011)
17. Klitschko's UDAR approves party ticket, Kyiv Post (Aug. 1, 2012)
18. You Scratch My Back, and I’ll Scratch Yours, The Ukrainian Week (26 September 2012)
19. (in Ukrainian) Список депутатів нової Верховної Ради, Ukrayinska Pravda (11 November 2012)
20. Poroshenko Bloc to have greatest number of seats in parliament Archived November 12, 2014, at the Wayback Machine , Ukrinform (8 November 2014)
    People's Front 0.33% ahead of Poroshenko Bloc with all ballots counted in Ukraine elections - CEC Archived November 12, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Interfax-Ukraine (8 November 2014)
    Poroshenko Bloc to get 132 seats in parliament - CEC, Interfax-Ukraine (8 November 2014)
21. (in Ukrainian) Full electoral list of Poroshenko Bloc, Ukrayinska Pravda (19 September 2014)
22. Laws of Ukraine. Order of the President of Ukraine No. 438/2004: On V. Pynzenyk attaining the fair status of "Deserved Economist of Ukraine". Adopted on 2004-04-15. (Ukrainian)
23. "Pynzenyk Declares UAH 265,200 Income For 2006". Ukrainian News. December 18, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-20.

External links

• Official website (in Ukrainian)
• "Pynzenyk Viktor Mykhailovych". Yedyna-Ukrayina (in Ukrainian).

Political offices
Preceded by Mykola Azarov	Minister of Finance of Ukraine 2007–2009	Succeeded by Ihor Umansky (Acting)
Preceded by Yevhen Marchuk	First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine 1994–1995	Succeeded by Pavlo Lazarenko
Party political offices
Preceded by None	Leader of the Reforms and Order Party 1997–2010	Succeeded by Serhiy Sobolev