Журнал Viche 2008 №10

№10, 2008

Elect with us, elect, as we, elect better than we!

On May, 25 Kievites will vote for a city chairman and 120 deputies of capital council

Prescheduled election of capital city chairman perplexed many people as well as politicians. It becomes more obvious that Kyiv campaign is the rehearsal of presidential election. The best political technological forces are used for this event which successfully filled a pause during a political off-season time. Traditionally popular are social pools and manipulation with their interpretations. Various centers of sociological and political researches daily declare theirк ratings of in candidates. However all of them are quite relative, greater part of the Kyiv electors are not yet determined and namely their voices will be a main reason for the fight the last weeks before voting. 

Commenting the idea of electing of city chairman in two rounds President marked: introduction of such changes will put other cities of Ukraine in unequal conditions; moreover it threatens with reelections in these cities.  

Who knows, possibly, the coalition will be able to «persuade» President to sign such a doubtful document. However it will not bring anything positive to the current misbalanced relations.

 Or the parliamentary situational majority that is able to overcome whatever will play its role? 

If they actually wished to make election more clear this initiative could have been brought in parliament once after summing up of results of election 2006. (Then it was possible to analyze election of governors of a town not only in Kyiv but also in all regions: what, where and how took place.) But it did not happen for some reason. Now we can look on this idea only through the prism of just another political technology and on a mayor campaign — as on factor which diverts attention from a general problem socio-economic situation in a country.

It’s interesting, whether the reserved glass will it be taken off after election which separates the presidium of Kyiv Council from other deputies? Possibly it will be doubled in order not to tempt some «squabblers» out of deputies’ to hold for some the time the neck of a new mayor...  

FIGURES: 78 candidates will take part in election of the Kyiv city chairman, Kyiv Council— there are 37 parties and blocks. Fight for 120 capital mandates.

Svitlana FILONENKO