Julia Svitlychna

Yuliya Svitlychna (, born 6 June 1984, Kharkiv) is a Ukrainian politician. In a 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election by-election on 15 March 2020 Svitlychna was elected to Ukraine's parliament. From 15 October 2016 until 6 November 2019 she was the Governor of Kharkiv Oblast. Svitlychna has a PhD in state administration and was during her reign the youngest regional governor in Ukraine. She is also famous for lobbying Kharkiv Region's interests in the United States and China.

Svitlychna meeting with US delegation in July 2016 In the 2015 Ukrainian local elections she was elected Deputy of Kharkiv Oblast Council for Petro Poroshenko Bloc. As Deputy, she is a member of Ukrainian delegation to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe for 2016–2020. At the 31st session of the Congress Svitlychna was elected vice president of the Chamber of Regions, and is also a member of the Congress Bureau responsible for coordinating the work of chambers and committees as well as organizing sessions. On 30 August 2016 Svitlychna became acting Governor of Kharkiv Oblast after her predecessor Ihor Rainin on 29 Aug 2016 had been promoted to head the Presidential Administration of Ukraine. On 15 October 2016 she was officially appointed Governor of Kharkiv by President Petro Poroshenko.

On 6 November 2019 President Volodymyr Zelensky replaced Svitlychna and appointed Oleksiy Kucher Governor of Kharkiv Oblast.

In a 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election by-election on 15 March 2020 Svitlychna won (as an independent candidate) the parliamentary seat that was vacated by Kucher. She won this electoral district 179 located in Kharkiv Oblast with 77.54% or 30.194 votes (voter turnout was 27.47%, Kucher had been elected with a 51.01% voter turnout). (Early in the campaign) Kucher's party Servant of the People had withdrawn its candidate in support of Svitlychna.

In the October 2020 Kharkiv local election a new local party backed by Svitlychna, Bloc Svitlychna — Together! participated. It won 17 seats in the Kharkiv Oblast Council. and 6 deputies in the Kharkiv City Council.