Jeanne Usenko-Black

Date of Birth: 01.05.1973

Place of Birth, Education. Born in Kyiv. In 1997, she graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv with a degree in History. In 2000, she graduated from the Institute of International Relations of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv with a degree in International Law.

Career. She started in August 1999 as the chief advisor to the National Office for the Implementation of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.

Since May 2000, she served as the chief advisor to the Secretariat of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Legal Policy.

Later, she held positions as a legal advisor for the Euro-Ukraine Consulting LLC project, as chief advisor to the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Committee on Legal Policy, as chief advisor to the Office of the President of Ukraine for cooperation with the Parliament, the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, and the Cabinet of Ministers, as well as Deputy Head of this Office.

In December 2004, after the Orange Revolution and before the second round of the Presidential elections in Ukraine, Usenko-Black became a member of the Central Election Commission.

In June 2007, shortly after the announcement of the accelerated termination of the powers of the 5th Parliament of Ukraine, she joined the new composition of the Central Election Commission (after the quota place of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc). She was elected by her colleagues as Deputy Chairperson of the CEC. Volodymyr Shapoval, who himself became a member of the Commission and led it on the 'initiative' of the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko.

On September 20, 2018, the Parliament dismissed Jeanne Usenko-Black from her position as Deputy Chairperson of the Central Election Commission.

Conflict. In April 2008, a request from President Yushchenko to terminate the powers of the Deputy Chairperson of the CEC Usenko-Black arrived 'due to a violation of her oath of office' and because of a similar request from her superior Shapoval in Parliament.

Shortly thereafter, in March, Shapoval initiated an internal investigation into Usenko-Black's activities, which was prompted among other things by a draft decision of the CEC to recognize the election of BYuT representatives to the Kyiv City Council instead of those who had switched to supporters of the Mayor of Kyiv, Leonid Chernovetsky. The author of the document was none other than Usenko-Black, and in the eyes of the CEC Chair, the draft was legally sound.

Moreover, around that time, Usenko-Black suggested to Shapoval to submit his resignation, as the commission he led had long been stalled from convening to register new members of the BYuT in the Kyiv City Council. According to BYuT members and some political observers, the CEC's decision in favor of the Tymoshenko Bloc was not in line with the Presidential Secretariat. It is believed that Yushchenko's team was not interested in strengthening the position of Yulia Tymoshenko and her bloc 'by definition,' especially regarding a strategically significant 'object' like Kyiv.

The Prime Minister personally immediately came to the defense of the Deputy Chairperson of the CEC. 'We as a political force will under no circumstances dismiss this honest and responsible person,' said the leader of BYuT at a press conference. She added that the Presidential Secretariat pressured Usenko-Black because of her principled stance on the registration of new BYuT members in the legislative body of the capital.

29.04.2022