Kyiv's 222nd single-mandate constituency is one of the smallest in terms of the number of registered parliamentary candidates. There are only 14 (eight party nominees and six independents). Among them are two professors from Kyiv's universities, a medical university student, a member of parliament, the head of the Kyiv city council's public reception office, a little-known former Party of Regions member, a retired colonel general, a political scientist, and, of course, Darth Vader.
Majoritarian constituency No. 222 in the Solomyansky district of the capital includes 86 polling stations, which are expected to host approximately 177 Moscow residents on the day of the snap parliamentary elections on October 26.
This constituency is one of the smallest in terms of the number of registered parliamentary candidates in Ukraine. Only 14 people are vying for seats in the Verkhovna Rada. Only one other single-member constituency in Kyiv, No. 218, can boast such a small selection of candidates. The rest of the capital's single-member constituencies offer Kyiv residents the opportunity to vote for one of 20-30 registered candidates.
The 222nd single-mandate electoral district is also unique in that it has more representatives from political parties than independent candidates—eight to six. In Solomyanka, candidates running for deputy include those from the Poroshenko Bloc, the Opposition Bloc, the Internet Party of Ukraine, the Radical Party of Oleh Lyashko, Sirius, Strong Ukraine, the National Democratic Party of Ukraine, and Volia.
LIST OF CANDIDATES FOR PEOPLE'S DEPUTIES IN THE 222ND DISTRICT
Representatives of political forces
District winner in 2012
Experts call the candidate nominated by the Poroshenko Bloc the main favorite in the 222nd majoritarian district in Kyiv. Dmitry AndrievskyHe is currently a member of parliament of Ukraine representing the Batkivshchyna party, having entered the Rada from the same constituency in 2012.
In the past Andrievsky — three-time Kyiv City Council member (from 2002 to 2012). He spent the first two terms in the Our Ukraine faction, and in 2008 joined UDAR, from which he was expelled in 2010 for "bad behavior," allegedly voting against his fellow party members.
During the current elections, Andrievsky has plastered the entire district with posters featuring his portrait and is actively campaigning from tents. Fortunately, there's plenty of money for all of this.
From 1992 to 1996, Andrievsky held senior positions in business entities engaged in research and production activities. From 1996 to 2001, he was the head of the representative office of Franklin Group, Ltd. (UK) in Ukraine. From 2001 to 2007, Dmitry Andrievsky became vice president of Concern Kyivpodzemdorstroy LLC, which specializes in the construction and reconstruction of utility networks. In 2007, he became president of Concern Kyivpodzemdorstroy LLC, and in 2008, he was elected chairman of the board of directors of Inteko-Holding LLC.
Moreover, Maksym Lutsky, a member of the Party of Regions and considered Andrievsky's main rival in the 2012 elections, is not present in the district this time. Therefore, for now, all the forecasts for the BPP candidate are rosy.
Andrievsky promises Kyiv residents a "European capital" with a reformed system of governance and public utilities.
Ex-Regional
The Opposition Bloc nominated Oleksandr Belov, a Dnipropetrovsk native and Irpen resident, in Svyatoshino. Like other Opposition Bloc candidates in the Kyiv single-member constituency, Belov isn't particularly popular with residents of the district. Most residents of Solomenka have never heard of him.
In 2008, Alexander Belov ran for the capital's city council on the party list of "Patria of Regions," but took an unwinnable 102nd place.
It is likely that Belov will hardly receive any serious support from the residents of Solomenka in the current elections, even though he promises them “Peace, stability and revival.”
Darth Olegovich Vader
Dart Olegovich Vader, a representative of the Internet Party of Ukraine in the 222nd district, is also competing for the votes of the local electorate to get into the Verkhovna Rada.
The candidate is 23 years old, he is unemployed and lives in Kyiv.
It's worth noting that this is one of 12 Darth Vaders in Kyiv's 13 single-member constituencies. There are 15 candidates with such names in Ukraine.
As a reminder, the "Star Wars" party began competing with Ukrainian politicians during the local elections in Kyiv and Odesa, but failed to gain significant support from the city's residents.
In his election program, this Darth Vader traditionally promises the Solomians the introduction of a simple, effective, and transparent mechanism of public administration.
A radical "from a simple family"
Leonid Kulesh, 24, is running for Oleh Lyashko's Radical Party in Svyatoshino. He claims he should be the MP representing Solomyanka because he comes from a humble family, participated in the Euromaidan protests, and loves Ukraine.
At the same time, Kulesh works as the director of a Ukrainian-German enterprise, which, among other things, supplies goods necessary for strengthening the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The candidate conducts active campaigning in the district, visiting apartments, fairs, and courtyards to communicate with voters.
Kulesh, like his fellow party members, promises voters victory in the war in eastern Ukraine, social protection for ATO participants and their families, and the fight against corruption.
Promoter of goodness and honesty
The leader of the Sirius party, Igor Nikolenko, also proposed his candidacy as a candidate for people's deputy to the residents of Solomyanka.
The candidate is the deputy director of the private security company "Sirius" and lives in Kyiv.
"My main goal is to restore the Ukrainian people's faith in themselves, in the fact that we are the best nation and deserve the highest standard of living, and that Ukraine should be the richest country," Nikolenko states in his election platform.
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In addition, the candidate promises voters in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to promote goodness, patriotism, honesty, and correctness.
A lecturer from the medical university
Sergei Pavlovsky, a 25-year-old lecturer in the anatomy department at Bogomolets National Medical University, is competing for votes in constituency No. 222 from Serhiy Tihipko's Strong Ukraine party.
Almost nothing is known about the candidate's past. However, he is currently actively campaigning for Solomyansk residents, including KPI students, to vote for him, walking around the district with leaflets.
The candidate's campaign promises concern achieving lasting peace in the country, restoring the economy, and improving social standards for Ukrainian citizens.
Retired Colonel General
Pensioner Bohdan Pylypov, born in 1951, is also running for a seat in the 222nd single-member constituency. He was nominated by the National Democratic Party of Ukraine.
The candidate is a former military man who rose to the rank of colonel general. Since 2010, he has served as chief advisor to the president of the All-Ukrainian Interfaith Religious Christian Military Brotherhood.
The National Democrat promises the residents of Solomyanka that, once elected to parliament, he will work to improve social protection, promote the cultural revival of the nation, implement tax reform, decentralize power, and, most importantly, ensure national security and strengthen Ukraine's defense capability.
A teacher from NAU
Artem Stelmashov, a 33-year-old lecturer in the journalism department at the Institute of International Relations of the National Aviation University, sought a parliamentary seat and ran for the Volya party.
The party's official website states that this candidate is also a political scientist, the head of the NovaUkraina.org portal, and an "active participant in protest movements."
This year, Stelmashov already participated in the election race during the local elections in Kyiv – he ran for the capital's deputy in the 55th majoritarian constituency in the Solomensky district from the Sobor party, but did not win.
Stelmashov promises his electorate to address the problem of the insufficiently practical nature of higher education, hold regular job fairs, draft a bill to dismiss heads of district state administrations and their deputies in the event of "failing" performance in their area of responsibility, provide free internet for schoolchildren and students, and introduce criminal liability for deputies violating in-person voting rules.
Self-nominated candidates
Just a candidate
The list of self-nominated candidates in Kyiv's 222nd single-member constituency is headed by a little-known, unemployed, and non-partisan candidate, Dmytro Bohdan.
The candidate is conducting virtually no campaigning in the district, and thus is likely freezing his failing rating.
At the same time, Bohdan promises voters to “strive for peace with all their might,” build a strong army, and restore public trust in the government through a “correct” personnel policy.
Medical University student
"Youth will cleanse the government," claims 21-year-old medical university student Vasyl Gilyuk, a candidate for People's Deputy, on his campaign posters in the 222nd single-mandate constituency.
The candidate "came into the spotlight" during the Euromaidan events of 2013-2014, becoming the leader of the Bogomolets National Medical University's representative office on the Maidan. He also led protests within the university itself, which led to the dismissal of the university's former rector, Vitaliy Moskalenko, on corruption charges.
Solomenets-Gilyuk promises to promote the creation of conditions and opportunities for every active citizen to realize their potential, establish equal rights for all Ukrainians, and strengthen the rule of law.
Head of the reception office of the capital's deputy
Anna Horokhovska, head of the public reception office for Kyiv City Council member Maksym Konobas from the Samopomich party, also decided to test her luck in the snap parliamentary elections.
The little-known candidate promises her potential voters to defend Ukraine's state independence and territorial integrity and to cooperate with all democratic forces in parliament, as well as the President, to protect and enhance Ukraine's international standing. In short, she promises to be a conscientious member of parliament.
Political scientist
Ukrainian political scientist Roman Lipninsky, who lives in the Cherkasy region, decided to campaign for the votes of Solomenka residents in order to gain a seat in parliament.
His campaign posters state that the candidate is supported by the Batkivshchyna party, but officially Lipninsky is running in the elections "on his own."
Lipninsky is officially the CEO of Ukrdomservis, a private company that provides real estate search and selection services for rent or purchase.
Once elected to the Rada, the candidate promises to carry out five major reforms: the Armed Forces, healthcare, security forces, the judicial system, and education.
Namesake of the capital's deputy
Cashier engineer Alexander Chernikov, born in 1969, also ran for parliament without the support of any political party.
It's worth noting that the candidate shares the same name as the current Moscow City Council member from the UDAR party. He is not seriously campaigning in his district. Information about Chernikov is difficult to find in open sources.
One of the main points of the candidate's election program is the reform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"Love that warms"
The mysterious Lyubov Shaturskaya, born in 1983, also registered as a candidate for people's deputy from the 222nd majoritarian district.
She is the head of the legal association "LK and Partners Consulting" and lives in Kyiv.
Shaturskaya's election platform begins with the phrase, "Love that warms." The candidate promises voters to work in the Verkhovna Rada to increase state aid for raising children, prioritize treatment for children of war and Chernobyl victims, as well as children from disadvantaged families, and make developmental clubs and sections mandatory in schools.
Valeria Samarkina, KyivVlast
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