25 Facts About Viktor Baloha

Viktor Ivanovych Baloha is a Ukrainian politician and a former emergency situations minister.

Viktor Baloha was born on 15 June 1963 in the village Zavydovo, Mukachevo district, Zakarpattia Oblast, to Ivan Pavlovych Baloha and Mariya Vasilivna Baloha.

Viktor Baloha then enrolled at the Lviv institute of trade and economics and graduated with a degree in "Commodity science and food products trade organization" in 1984.

Viktor Baloha continued to work as a commodity expert in various cities, rising to the position of the Chairman of the management board of LLC "Barva" in Mukachevo in 1997.

Viktor Baloha briefly reprises his role as the Chairman of the management board of LLC "Barva".

Viktor Baloha was a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on the issues of economic policy, administration of national economy, property and investments.

In May 2004 Viktor Baloha stood for Mukachevo city Mayor Election as one of the main candidates but lost the vote.

Viktor Baloha was then appointed Minister of Emergencies and Affairs of Population Protection from the Consequences of the Chernobyl Catastrophe of Ukraine, followed by being appointed to the position of the Head of the Secretariat of the President of Ukraine in 2006.

On 5 October 2006 Viktor Baloha resigned from the position of the Minister of Emergencies and Affairs of Population Protection from the Consequences of the Chernobyl Catastrophe of Ukraine.

Viktor Baloha filed his resignation from the position of the Head of Secretariat of the President of Ukraine on Baloha's own accord and was released in May 2009.

Viktor Baloha cited as the main reason for his resignation his disagreement with the decision of Yushchenko to run for president for a second term.

Viktor Baloha argued that his role had become pointless given the apathy of the President.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine subsequently authorized Viktor Baloha to be the Head on Ukrainian part of several joint intergovernmental commissions for cooperation issues.

Viktor Baloha headed various intergovernmental commissions for cooperation with the Czech Republic, Israel and Slovakia.

On 20 November 2012 Viktor Baloha resigned as emergencies minister because he preferred to take in the seat in the Ukrainian Parliament he had won in the October 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election when he won a single-seat constituency in Zakarpattia Oblast for United Centre.

In July 2015, Viktor Baloha was implicated in violent clashes in Zakarpattia with fellow MP Mikhail Lanyo, relating to the control of cigarette smuggling in the region.

In February 2023 Viktor Baloha was banned to entry of Hungary.

Viktor Baloha claimed this was done because In October 2022 a Turul located on Mukachevo's Palanok Castle was replaced by a Tryzub.

In 1998 during parliamentary electoral campaign Viktor Baloha was the campaign chief of the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine in Zakarpattia region: the Social Democratic Party received the fifth part of its votes in Zakarpattia.

In 2000 V Baloha initiated "de-partisation" in the region and withdrew his membership in the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine.

In 2007 Viktor Baloha was elected as the head of Political Council of the People's Union "Our Ukraine" party.

On 15 February 2008 Viktor Baloha declared that he withdraws the membership in the presidential People's Union "Our Ukraine".

In June 2008 Viktor Baloha joined the party United Centre.

On 1 July 2020 Viktor Baloha's United Centre was renamed Andriy Baloha's Team and it became headed by Andriy Baloha.

In January 2022 Andriy Viktor Baloha joined Dmytro Razumkov's new political project.