Edward Johnson

Present status: PhD candidate

Working title of thesis: Ukraine’s first ‘Party of Power’? The Party of Regions and its role during the Yanukovych presidency

Research: My research focuses on the development of authoritarian practices and structures during the Presidency of Viktor Yanukovych in Ukraine between 2010 and 2014. I will investigate the role of the Party of Regions as a vehicle for the consolidation of authoritarian and corrupt structures, as well as exploring the idea of the party as an expression of formal and informal political networks. The means by which a semi-authoritarian structure was constructed will be determined and with it I will highlight the internal contradiction and restraints that ultimately resulted in the collapse of the Yanukovych government. This research contributes to the academic debate surrounding the structural limitations of authoritarianism in Ukraine and proposes to develop a better understanding of the construction of 'parties of power'.