Three weeks before the elections, former lawmaker Mykhailo Dobkin has withdrawn from the Kharkiv mayor race and endorsed Hennadiy Kernes, his ally and a sitting mayor who came down with COVID-19.
Dobkin announced his decision on his Telegram channel on Oct. 4.
Kernes, who is confined to a wheelchair after an attempt on his life, has been the mayor of Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, since 2010 and is predicted to win another term in office despite rumors of his deteriorating health. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 in mid-September and was taken to Charité hospital in Berlin on Sept. 17. According to Dobkin and the party of Kernes, the mayor is recovering.
His old friend and once Kharkiv mayor, Dobkin had a diverse political career: from Kharkiv governor to lawmaker with Party of Regions, a disgraced President Viktor Yanukovych’s party, and it’s successor Opposition Bloc to a presidential candidate.
Local elections are set to take place on Oct. 25. Excluding Dobkin, a total of 14 candidates are vying for the Kharkiv mayor’s seat.
