You're reading: Klitschko says Batkivschyna never discussed with him issue of candidacy for Kyiv mayor

Leader of the UDAR parliamentary faction Vitali Klitschko has stated that members of the Batkivschyna Party have never discussed with him the issue of nominating a single candidate for Kyiv mayor, particularly his intentions to run for the post.

“We have not raised the issue and these questions. They decided everything without discussing it with us,” Klitschko told a press briefing on Monday, while commenting on the Batkivschyna parliamentary faction’s recent declaration of its intention to support Klitschko’s candidacy for Kyiv mayor.

“First of all, we have to answer the key issue – when the mayoral election will be held. The second question is according to what rules it will be held. For the third, there has to be a single candidate that could beat the authorities’ candidate,” Klitschko said.

He said these issues should be also discussed with other oppositional political forces.

“It would be proper in relation to each other. And it would give us an opportunity to nominate a candidate that could win over the authorities’ candidate,” Klitschko said.

As reported, on June 1, 2012, Leonid Chernovetsky resigned as Kyiv mayor. Kyiv City Council appointed Secretary of Kyiv City Council Halyna Hereha as acting mayor.

On July 19, 2012, Hereha asked the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, to issue an instruction on holding an early mayoral election.

On January 29, the Verkhovna Rada chairman said that the elections of Kyiv mayor and of the city council should be held simultaneously.

A number of Ukrainian experts say that independent MP and former Foreign Minister of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko could be nominated by the opposition as a single candidate for Kyiv mayor.

On February 18 in the morning, one of the leaders of the Batkivschyna faction Mykola Tomenko said that the Batkivschyna parliamentary faction will support Vitali Klitschko as a single oppositional candidate for Kyiv mayor if Klitschko confirms his intention to run for election.

He added that if UDAR and Klitschko take a different decision, then the Batkivschyna faction would proceed with further consultations to select a single candidate.