Since the election race in Kyiv is approaching its final lap, potential mayors are making their final surge in the campaign for the coveted post.
s hands and went to a subotnik (the Soviet tradition of voluntary work on Saturdays) to plant trees along Kyiv streets.
Even though the saplings of birch trees and lindens, which the politician planted carefully, will definitely not bear edible fruit, Turchynov, having rolled up the sleeves of his sweatsuit, worked towards gathering a different harvest – an electoral one.
Being a true ally of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Turchynov is a contender to the capital’s mayoral post – one of the most sought after positions on the country’s political Olympus.
In addition to Turchynov, 78 other challengers aspire to get the mayor’s seat. Among them are incumbent Mayor Leonid Chernovetskiy, his “retired” 70-year-old predecessor Oleksandr Omelchenko, and heavyweight boxer Vitali Klitschko.
“A subotnik is, of course, a great thing, but in order to drastically change the situation, a real shock is needed, and that has not happened yet,” noted Vadym Karasiov, a political analyst.
Despite their efforts, none of the candidates have done anything significant so far to overcome Chernovetskiy, he said.
“I think a serious fight is still ahead of us,” the expert said.
Since the election race in Kyiv is approaching its final lap, potential mayors are making their final surge for power.
Chernovetskiy has engaged in “carpet-bombing” the population. For several days, monitors in all of Kyiv’s metro cars have ran reports, during peak capacity, on the heroic deeds of incumbent city authorities, regardless of the truthfulness of the claims.
Reaching the multi-million subway audience is an ideal target. “They simply use modifications of old (political) programs and massive outdoor advertising campaigns,” explained Kostiantyn Matviyenko, an expert of Gardarika Corporation of Strategic Consulting.
Despite big expenses, the current election campaign has not managed to transform from a competition of personalities into a competition of candidates’ concepts.
“A person is presented like a brand, but no one talks about plans for the city’s development,” Vyshlinsky said.
Politicians more than compensate for the lack of strategic solutions by running a myriad of public events devoted to the election campaign.
Klitschko opens playgrounds and gives autographs, Turchynov plants trees and Viktor Pylypyshyn, the Lytvyn Bloc candidate, has cyclists riding around Kyiv flying multi-colored banners promoting him.
“Well, those are people, athletes, who were ready to support us and we, of course, were not against that,” Pylypyshyn said. “Believe me, personal contact with people is much more effective than all those different billboards.”
Students of Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv share Pylypyshyn’s view too: personal contact with people makes it easier for them to choose the new city mayor.
“Brigades walk around a residence hall and say all you need to do is come to a polling station and vote,” a student told Korrespondent. “Money is given only after the votes are counted. They say this time it will not be less than 200 hryvnias. While during parliamentary elections, they were giving 100 hryvnias to every student.”
Students will be told at a polling station who they need to vote for, but recalling their experience during the last election for parliament, they assume they will have to check off the line with the Lytvyn Bloc for City Council and its mayoral candidate Pylypyshyn.
The Lytvyn Bloc’s press service said this was the first time they heard such accusations and they promised they would investigate the case.
Surveys conducted oneandahalf months ago show the Chernovetskiy Bloc has a commanding lead in the election race. Under the existing conditions of singleround elections, the candidate who receives 30 percent of the votes will win.
“And this is the case even though a considerable number, 50 percent (of the electorate), is aggressively against this very candidate,” he said.
Despite strong attacks by parliament and the Cabinet of Ministers after snap mayoral elections were announced, Chernovetskiy managed not only to stay afloat, but remains the most popular politician in the capital.
“Chernovetskiy has political knowhow,” noted Hennadiy Balashov, a political psychologist. According to him, the incumbent mayor managed to buy the most reliable electorate – orphans and pensioners.
“All his additional payment, handing out cereals and clothes, make him an indestructible figure,” Balashov said.
Chernovetskiy used “adminresurs” (government resources) in the fight for the mayor’s seat, he said, admitting the mayor’s methods are effective.
“There is a certain category of people who still have Soviet expectations and believe the authorities must help them,” Balashov said. “If the authorities help, they are good. If the don’t, they are bad.”
The expert thinks that help for the needy does not burden Chernovetskiy.
“He does such things using city funds,” Vyshlinsky said. “If not city funds, then it is money that was stolen earlier.”
The candidates do not have problems with financing. According to the sociologist, among candidates who have chances to be elected, only Klitschko might encounter such problems.
“Simply with his budget, he is unable to overcome his adversaries’ message,” explained Vyshlinsky.
In fact, the politicianboxer’s budget for the election campaign isn’t impressive, only $100,000, “as specified by legislation,” according to Dmytro Andriyevskiy, head of the Klitschko Bloc’s campaign headquarters.
Offering any figures related to election campaign financing is irresponsible, said political expert Matviyenko.
“Elections in our country are one of the most powerful factors of the shadow economy,” he said. “You have undeclared amounts of cash, the stealing of money at campaign headquarters, all these babushkas sitting in tents and unrealistic prices for printing campaign leaflets,” he said.
No matter what amount the candidates invest in their campaigns, Chernovetskiy still remains the most effective politician in Kyiv.
“A billionaire hasn’t been born, who in the fight for this seat, will simply walk around and give things away several years in a row, like Chernovetskiy does in such a direct and open way,” Balashov said. “No one can compete with him.”
Vyshlinsky is more optimistic. He sees two options: either Turchynov or Klitschko will withdraw in order to support somebody else, or at the critical moment, the parliament will adopt a resolution creating two election rounds. “Well in this case of course, I am almost like Lesia Ukrainka in the sense that ‘I am hoping without hope,’” the expert confessed.
