The early Ukrainian presidential election campaign jump-started on Feb. 25 after then-President Viktor Yanukovych hastily fled the country and was ousted by parliament. With the elections taking place in such a short period of time and in difficult social and political conditions, the candidates are being thrifty in spending money for campaigning. Yet they are very generous in delivering empty statements and half-hearted promises that will be difficult to fulfill. Many of those statements once again pointed out politicians’ hypocrisy.
The Kyiv Post
has selected the most meaningless, in our view, promises and statements of
Ukraine’s presidential candidates.
Communist leader believes in “the hand of the West”
Communist Party
leader Petro Symonenko who is running for president for the fourth consecutive
time is sure that “America
and Europe actually rule the country (Ukraine)
since 2005.” He has tried to
paint the picture for his voters that both America and Europe are responsible for
Ukraine’s economic collapse, as well as its decline in social and medical
standards. “Under the dictation of American and European ‘consultants’ budgets
of social genocide were taken annually,” reads his presidential program.
Symonenko also
has an alternative view on the recent political events in the country.
According to him, Ukraine now faces the threat of the revival of fascism. “The
unpunished activity of the fascist thugs and their violation of the legitimate
rights resulted in that the Crimean population did not want to put up with the
situation and decided to separate from Ukraine,” Symonenko’s political program
says. “The current authorities are to blame for the attack on the state’s
territory.”
Socialist calls Russia
“a reliable neighbor”
Vasyl Tsushko,
economy minister in 2010, head of Viktor Yanukovych’s presidential campaign in
Odessa region during his last presidential run and a Socialist party member, accuses
oligarchs of robbing the country blind. Moreover, he reassures that “following
the principle ‘a coffin does not have pockets’ (suggesting that one cannot take
its treasures to the grave) I never cheated on my social and democratic beliefs
and have always struggled for justice in all the spheres of life.”
Despite
Russia’s military aggression, Tsushko stands for “normal and lasting
relationships with Russia” calling the country “a reliable partner and
neighbor.”
Pro-Russia lawmaker talks of morality
Party of
Regions lawmaker, regular participant of fights in the Verkhovna Rada and an
active supporter of the separatists in Ukraine’s East Oleh Tsaryov talks a lot
about morality. “I will live according to the Orthodox principles… We have to return
the idea of morality to our everyday life,” reads his presidential program. On
Dec. 6, Tsaryov suggested President Yanukovych to award Berkut riot police for
their protection of the Presidential Administration on Dec. 1. That day several
Ukrainian and foreign journalists were beaten by Berkut police. The candidate
tells his electorate that he “was fighting against fascists and protected our
Berkut guys who risked their lives for our safety.”
Controversial prosecutors brings up justice
Renat Kuzmin,
former deputy prosecutor general of Ukraine and former deputy secretary of the
National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, used to be the key prosecutor
behind many criminal investigations against former Interior Minister Yuriy
Lyutsenko and ex-Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko deemed to be politically
motivated. The controversial prosecutorial’s past has not prevented Kuzmin from
declaring justice, law and order as the main principles of his presidential
program. “I take personal responsibility and I commit to make
Ukraine a prosperous democratic
state which will live according to just laws,” reads his program. Kuzmin also
aims “to ensure citizens’ safety,” “the
right of citizens to
a fair and independent
court” and “to direct the work of law
enforcement agencies to protect the
fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens and the state.”
Right-wing candidate wants to criminally punish ‘Ukrainophobes’
Oleh Tyahnybok, leader of the right-wing
Svoboda party, promises “to establish criminal responsibility for any
manifestation of Ukrainophobia.” The presidential candidate speaks about the
necessity of “compulsory tests in the Ukrainian language for
public officials and candidates
for elected office.”
Tyahnybok also plans to vet state
officials and candidates running
for office to determine their involvement in corruption, cooperation with
foreign intelligence services and possible double citizenship with the help of a
polygraph test.
Kyiv Post staff writer Nataliya Trach can be reached at [email protected].
