The war in the Donetsk region isn't deterring those seeking parliamentary seats from Donbas. Former Party of Regions members and members of the Family are confronted by ATO activists and fighters.
In all Donbas districts—even those controlled by separatists—candidates for parliament have registered with the Central Election Commission. Some of them seriously hope to be elected to the next parliament, Novoye Vremya reports.
NV found out who is running for the Rada from the blazing Donbass and why, and what these people, in some cases without any chance of getting into their constituencies, are counting on.
Overall, the Central Election Commission plans to hold elections to the Rada in 16 electoral districts of Donbas.
Donetsk
In Donetsk, much of which is controlled by separatists, some very prominent figures in Ukrainian politics are running for parliament. For example, in the 41st constituency, in the Budyonovsky district, Ihor Kaletnik, a former customs chief, former deputy speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, and member of parliament from the Communist Party of Ukraine, a native of the Vinnytsia region, is running.
Along with Kaletnik, nine other people have registered with the Central Election Commission for this district, including one candidate from Svoboda. Borys Vizirov is running in the 42nd district, in Donetsk's Voroshilovsky district. He formerly headed the National Financial Services Commission during Viktor Yanukovych's presidency. In the previous "white-blue" government, he was considered a close associate of former Interior Minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko. Eight more people are also trying their hand in this district, including another Svoboda representative, as well as a candidate from the Petro Poroshenko Bloc.
The 43rd and 44th districts aren't notable for their lack of big names. It's worth noting that the same Svoboda and Batkivshchyna parties are leading their representatives.
The 45th district includes the Kyivsky district of Donetsk and the adjacent Avdiivka and Yasynuvata districts. This district also includes the Donetsk Airport, which has been the subject of fierce fighting recently. It is in this district that there is a slim chance that the elections will be held under Ukrainian government control, as part of it is currently controlled by Kyiv.
A controversial Party of Regions member, former Prime Minister of Ukraine, and honorary chairman of the board of directors of the A. Zasyadko mine is trying to get into the Rada in this district. Efim ZvyagilskySince the onset of separatist activity in Donbas, a number of Zvyagilsky's associates have entered the leadership of the so-called DPR. Donetsk activists and journalists claim that the regional leader himself actively supported the separatists. In particular, according to Donetsk blogger Denis Kazansky, Zvyagilsky's associate, Alexander Kalyussky, holds a position in the so-called DPR government.
There are no strong enough figures in this district to challenge Zvyagilsky. He faces 11 competitors, including Svoboda member Igor Sabadakha and Vladimir Shilov, one of the commanders of the Dnepr-1 battalion.
Artyomovsk
In the city of Artemivsk, the 46th district, controlled by the Ukrainian government, is Serhiy Klyuev, brother of former head of the National Security and Defense Council and the Presidential Administration, Andriy Klyuev. In 2013, Klyuev became the owner of the very same Mezhyhirya estate where Yanukovych resided. Remarkably, despite his active involvement with the previous government and commercial activities closely linked to the former Ukrainian president, Serhiy Klyuev has emerged unscathed and has been cultivating Artemivsk for several months. Local pro-Ukrainian activists say his chances of returning to the Verkhovna Rada are very high. Klyuev positions himself as an independent candidate and distances himself from the Party of Regions. In addition to Klyuev, several former and current members of the Party of Regions are running in this district, including Dmytro Reva. Reva is a former MP from the Party of Regions; his father, also a member of the Party of Regions, served three terms as mayor of Artemivsk.
Slavyansk
The largest number of candidates for deputy in the Donetsk region are registered in the 47th constituency, whose capital is Sloviansk. Here, under the protection of the Ukrainian army, as many as 31 people have expressed their desire to compete for a seat.
Among them, Serhiy Bilogorodsky, a member of the Party of Regions, is worth noting. Local pro-Ukrainian activists consider Bilogorodsky a close associate of Oleksandr Yanukovych, the former president's son. Several years ago, the publication OstroV wrote about Bilogorodsky's role in the seizure of the motor transport company of businessman Oleksandr Dreger, who had a personal conflict with Oleksandr Yanukovych.
Also making his way through the district is Vladimir Bulankov, a regular at the capital's social gatherings, businessman and president of Tiger Holding.
Iryna Dovhan, who rose to prominence after her public humiliation in Donetsk and was shamed by separatists for her pro-Ukrainian stance, is also running in Slovyansk. She recently participated in the Batkivshchyna party congress, but is running as an independent.
The nomination of Natalia Korolevskaya's husband, Yuriy Solod, for the Slovyansk district, running under the banner of the Opposition Bloc, has caused a stir. Local pro-Ukrainian activists claim that Solod is receiving tacit support in the district from billionaire Rinat Akhmetov's companies.
Valentin Rybakov, former mayor of Slavyansk and Nelly Shtepa's predecessor, is also running for parliament. Rybakov is characterized by the ambivalent attitude of local residents toward him, as well as the fact that he spent several weeks in captivity with supporters of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).
It's noteworthy that open supporters of Ukraine's pro-Russian stance are also seeking seats in the Ukrainian parliament from Donbas. This includes Yuriy Tyurdyo, a contributing author for a number of pro-Russian media outlets. Tyurdyo once headed the press service of the businessman's Metal Union group of companies. Ruslana Tsyplakova, whose name was associated with Viktor Yanukovych Jr.
Kramatorsk, Krasnoarmeysk, Dobropolye
Slightly fewer, 25 people, are running for deputy in the 48th district in the city of Kramatorsk. Local pro-Ukrainian activists believe Serhiy Bliznyuk, son of former minister and head of the Donetsk region, and Party of Regions MP Anatoliy Bliznyuk, has the best chance of winning.
In the 49th district, Denis Omelyanovich, a close associate of former Transport Minister Boris Kolesnikov, is highly likely to win. Omelyanovich is currently a sitting member of parliament from the Party of Regions.
The situation in the 50th district, which includes the cities of Krasnoarmeysk, Dobropillya, and Dimitrov, is interesting. Two former Party of Regions members clashed here: Leonid Baysarov and Eugene GellerThe first one heads the Pokrovskoye mine administration, an oligarch's structure Victor Nusenkis, who is considered an active supporter of separatism in Donbas. The second chairs the Verkhovna Rada's budget committee and is considered close to Akhmetov, still Ukraine's richest man.
Mariupol
Among the Donbas districts where elections are also expected to take place, Mariupol stands out. Mariupol has two districts, one of which, the 58th, is being contested by Serhiy Taruta, the current head of the remaining Donetsk region. Local pro-Ukrainian activists believe that Taruta's real challenger could be Vadym Troyan, deputy commander of the Azov Battalion.Read more about it Tsikavy facts about the new V.O. Heads of the National Police: who is Vadim Troyan?), who is currently supported by local residents. Troyan is running in the elections with the People's Front.
In Mariupol's 57th district, MP Serhiy Matviyenkov is the most likely to win. He is an incumbent MP who entered parliament under the Party of Regions and is considered close to Akhmetov.
While the situation with elections in districts controlled by the Ukrainian government is more or less clear, the reasons why candidates are registering in separatist-held territories are inexplicable. Moreover, often those registering there are representatives of, for example, the pro-presidential Petro Poroshenko Bloc, whose chances of even physically getting close to their districts are zero. The real reason for such actions, according to political scientist Alexei Yakubin, lies in Kyiv.
"There will be no deputies from Crimea in the new Rada, and the absence of deputies from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions would be perceived even by a loyal international community as an indication that Kyiv does not control a significant part of eastern Ukraine. This could lead to a review of the IMF programs and loan amounts. It's clear that elections in these regions will be held in a rather non-transparent manner, and in some places they won't be held at all, but for Kyiv, appearances are more important than reality right now."
Today, Yuriy Lutsenko, head of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc, announced that 420 of the 450 MPs will be elected in the October 26 elections. The remaining seats, he said, will remain vacant until "our flag is once again flying over Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea."
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