You're reading: Lawmaker: Party of Regions to merge with two other parties on March 17

Ukraine's Party of Regions plans to merge with the Strong Ukraine party at a congress on March 17, Party of Regions parliamentarian Olena Bondarenko told the ICTV television station.

"We are planning a merger with the Strong Ukraine party and one more party on March 17," she said.

Strong Ukraine leader and Deputy Prime Minister Sergiy Tigipko and Party of Regions head and Prime Minister Mykola Azarov announced an initiative in August 2011 to merge the two parties. Strong Ukraine, however, chose to postpone the move at a congress in October.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said in televised remarks on Feb. 24 that he saw Tigipko at least as the Party of Regions’ deputy chairman.

Tigipko announced on Feb. 28 that a Strong Ukraine congress would be held in March, reaffirming that plans for the parties’ merger remained on the agenda.

Tigipko came in third place in Ukraine’s 2010 presidential election, losing only to Yanukovych, who won the election, and Yulia Tymoshenko. Tigipko was then appointed to the post of deputy prime minister in charge of the country’s social policy.