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Vitali Klitschko shows off his physical strenghth as onlookers catch a glimpse of the star boxer-turned-politician. KP Media, photo by Oleksandr Chekmenov In the ongoing Kyiv mayoral election, Vitali Klitschko has fallen in the polls, leaving many wondering if the famous boxer can win the keys to the city.

he keys to the city.

The fight for mayor has been an uphill battle for Klitschko, who is competing as an "honest mayor."

Klitschko is trying to differentiate himself from Leonid Chernovetskiy, Kyiv’s current mayor and Klitschko’s main rival, who has been widely accused of corruption though never convicted.

Polls show a 12 percent difference between Chernovetskiy and Klitschko, with Chernovetskiy in the lead.

Klitschko has failed to lay out a clear election platform, according to Kost Bondarenko, a political scientist who has been closely following the mayoral campaign.

“Klitschko hasn’t made it clear how he can be better than Chernovetskiy,” said Bondarenko.

But Klitschko is waiting for political backing from the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc or from President Viktor Yushchenko. Currently neither Tymoshenko nor Yushchenko have endorsed Klitschko.

But many wonder if Klitschko’s star power has helped his campaign. At a recent tree­planting ceremony organized by his campaign team, Klitschko was confused for his bozing champion brother, Wladimir.

When a group of women at the tree­planting ceremony was who they would vote for, they said they just came out to get a glimpse of the star and planned on voting for Chernovetskiy.

Klitschko, who became politically active in 2000 as a member of the Democratic Union party, is becoming a more seasoned politician, said Kyiv political scientist Andriy Yermolayev.

After leaving the boxing ring, Klitschko gained significant political experience, especially from his last campaign for mayor in 2006.

Since entering into politics, Klitschko has turned to international political consultants to craft his image and shape his campaign.

The boxer has also been able to gain backing from his influential friends, including Kyiv construction magnates Lev Partskhaladze and Dmytro Andriyevskiy, his campaign manager suspected to be among the top financers.

Andriyevskiy has been accused of corruption by Chernovetskiy. In a live broadcast in December 2007, Chernovetskiy accused Andriyevskiy of stealing $563 million in state funds.

“Chernovetskiy tried to do something but without effect,” Andriyevskiy said. Andriyevskiy said he is not the main sponsor of Klitschko’s campaign and that legislation only allows him to donate $100,000 for mayoral elections.

“All the funds are party fees, private fees from citizens and also Klitschko’s personal money," he said. "I have also paid my fee, but it is only about several thousand hryvnias.”

Andriyevskiy said he is wealthy because for the last 10 years, he has been in business.

“I am a stockholder in several companies, primarily production enterprises that work in Ukraine,” he said.

Since Januray 2008, Andriyevsky has been the head of directors of Inteko­Holding, a company that produces building materials.

“You can’t even imagine how many deputies wanted to join Klitschko’s bloc," he said. "Do you know how much money was offered? About $5 million. Everyone thinks that they can come back to Kyiv Council, get some land and think that he will get his money back. Everyone who comes and offers me money, I send them to hell.”