Yegor Lupan first presented himself to the nation as a presidential candidate. He has upgraded himself to King of Ukraine during a press conference in Kyiv on Jan. 20. (UNIAN) He’s a fraud and promises to be a thief, if elected. But at least he’s honest about it. This middle-aged, slightly chubby “politician” is becoming the hit of the 2010 presidential election campaign, but you won’t find him on any election ballot.

He is fake presidential candidate Yegor Lupan, a pseudonym for the comic character who plays him, and here is a taste of his material: “We have seen that it’s impossible to change anything in Ukraine, that it’s easier to start afresh. That’s why a new era is beginning: the first year of the Kingdom of Ukraine,” Lupan said at a press conference on Jan. 20, seated on a throne wearing a crown and royal robes.

Lupan – or rather King Yegor Lupan I – describes himself as Ukraine’s “most honest candidate.” His act can be seen on You Tube videos and his own well-designed website www.zalupana.com. Lupan’s video ads are popular on YouTube, where onealone has more than 250,000 hits. His funny act is also shown on K1 television channel.

Taking advantage of Ukrainians’ disillusionment with politicians and the widespread view of them as corrupt to the core, Lupan mocked the real candidates in the race with his openness in Internet videos and appearances at press conferences.

“I will steal. I tell you that openly and honestly. But every month I will report how much I have stolen and where this money has gone. I won’t lie to you saying the hryvnia is a strong currency. Personally I will steal in dollars and recommend you to do the same … We won’t lie by telling you that Ukraine is recovering from the crisis,” he said in a mock campaign ad.

While his words were sometimes shockingly funny, Lupan’s appearance is, well, unremarkable. Middle-aged, overweight and slightly balding, Lupan wears grey suits and glamorous pink shirts.

However, his website has a snazzy design and he’s hip with the latest advances. “He actively uses new technologies such as social networks. His official YouTube profile is [excellent], in contrast to most of the candidates. Also, he has online voting [What is Lupan’s favorite beverage?] and tags. His site is updated very well,” said Yulia Kurbaka, project manager of ElectionMall Ukraine, a provider of IT services and marketing for politicians.

At times, it seems Lupan receives more media coverage than genuine presidential candidates – to the extent that even President Victor Yushchenko was forced to comment on this phenomenon in a recent interview. Asked what he thought of Lupan, Yushchenko grumbled: “Do not waste time on this. Every society has got to have people with plenty of complexes.”

Quick on his feet, Lupan’s responded immediately and in style. He gathered a small protest by the parliament and shot back with a video confession: “I definitely agree with this. Yes, I do have complexes. I have a bald head, and I’ve got a complex because of that. Also, I have a sports complex in Obolon and an entertainment complex at Darnytsia … The tax administration is kindly requested to pay no attention to them.”

Like most of the nation’s leaders, he issued a New Year’s Eve video message to the nation, from a sauna, topless, wrapped in a towel and wearing a Santa hat.

“You’re probably wondering why I am in a sauna?” he asked rhetorically, after drinking a shot. “I will tell you … I come here frequently. Because I know that to become a president you have to sweat. You probably have noticed that, contrary to my rivals, I blow off steam for the whole Ukrainian nation,” he said in the address.

“If you don’t want the president’s New Year speeches to be boring, just mark my name on the ballot, and for the next five years you’re guaranteed to have a good show,” he concluded.

Taras Berezovets, a political consultant for Prime Minister and presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko, said that in addition to Lupan’s comic talent, his success reflects society’s deep disgust with Ukraine’s politics and politicians.

“He is kind of the ‘Mister Bean’ in Ukrainian politics, entertaining both citizens and politicians,” Berezovets said, referring to the British comic Rowan Atkinson. “His aim is to show the absurdity of the whole situation.”

In reality, Lupan’s comedy acts are a real show, produced by a Ledokol ISTIL production company – itself owned by Kyiv Post publisher Mohammad Zahoor’s ISTIL Group.

“It’s the voice of people. It’s a cry from the heart,” Maxim Bakhmatov, director of Ledokol Istil, said about the project. However, he wouldn’t reveal any secrets about Lupan or the character’s true identity, fearing that honesty will spoil the joke.

Meanwhile, King Yegor Lupan I has made his first royal commands.

He released a new calendar for the year 0001, with 14 months and three-day weekends because “people need more time to rest.”

He also changed the names of the months and days. October is called “Hryvniopad” ( “Hryvniafall”), as the Ukrainian sometimes dows. January, with all its public holidays and festivals, is called “Bukhen,” from the Ukrainian slang word for “booze.”


Kyiv Post staff writer Oksana Faryna can be reached at faryna@kyivpost.com.