Where: Troyeshchyna district in Kyiv
Polling stations: 79
Number of voters: 170,211
Number of candidates: 15
Remarks: Multi-millionaire favorite taking no chances against young opponent
This ugly
residential district in Kyiv has caught more than its fair share of
attention because a true business and political heavyweight is being
challenged by a young Svoboda candidate here. Halyna Hereha, who now
presides over the Kyiv city council, and who co-owns a chain of home
improvement stores, is being challenged by 25-year old Svoboda
candidate Andriy Illenko.
According to PBN,
Hill+Knowlton company’s election report that came out last week,
Illenko is the only recognizable candidate in the constituency apart
from Hereha, but his chances are small.
Hereha is taking no
chances, though. She frequents the district in her official capacity
to use every option for a photo opportunity, such as the Sept. 1 back
to school day or the medical workers’ day. She is also generously
handing out food packages and promo materials bearing her name and
photographs. The violation was well documented in social networks and
on news websites, including photos of the food packages.
Despite owing a
fortune estimated by Focus magazine at $890.8 million in 2011 along
with her husband, Hereha’s handouts contain sugar, canned fish,
flower and rice of generic brands, a fact that was noticed and mocked
by Internet commentators. The fortune declared by Hereha is much more
modest though – she had Hr 7 million in income last year, and holds
Hr 18.9 million worth of statutory funds of companies. By contrast,
Svoboda’s Illenko made just over Hr 32,000 last year, according to
his declaration.
Hereha was a close
associate of former major Leonid Chernovetskiy, and has served in the
city council of the last two convocations, heading its committee on
business, food and services. She stood by the disgraced mayor even
after he failed to show up at his workplace for months. In January
she told Zerkalo Nedeli newspaper that Chernovetskiy is actively
running the city from Israel. “We’re in constant communication,”
she said. “The absence of a major does not affect the work of the
Kyiv city council.”
Chernovetskiy
resigned in July, but it’s still unclear when the mayoral election
will take place. Meanwhile, the city is run by an administrator,
presidential appointee Oleksandr Popov, and Hereha.
