The changing face of Ukrainian politics

The party known as “The Servant of the People” is currently the most popular party in the country and even offers a party-branded t-shirt. In return, the voter is expected to follow a candidate on social media.

New Ukrainian parties are choosing a new and simpler way to talk to their often younger audience, but it is not the only thing that is new here.

Vadym Karpyak is a political editor and television anchorman. He says: “This is the first time elections are happening in Ukraine in the summer, that is why it’s very hard to predict the result and also the turnout. The second thing is an extremely high demand for the new faces in parliament."

But this demand could increase the number of fresh faces in parliament by as much as 70 percent.

Euronews visitied the headquarters of a political party called Holos or 'Voice' which is only a few months old.

This brand new power is led by the famous Ukrainian rock-musician Sviatoslav Vakarchuk and is one of two parties that promise to change the system and bring only new faces into parliament.

Pavlo Kuhta is the programme director of the ‘Voice’ party. "We have a clear list of redline style criteria that all party candidates have to fulfil," he says.

"No actions against Maidan Revolution, no pro-Russian position, no personal integrity no blind spots in their biography no corruption scandals etc.”

But this does not mark the end of the oligarch which for so long was the driving force of Ukrainian politics.

Olha Aivazovska is from the election watchdog Opora. She says: "Oligarchs haven't gone anywhere from Ukraine, they support different parties in parliament, and the candidates have to appear on the television channels which are entirely owned by the oligarchs. However, there is no monopoly of one oligarch over the authorities.”

Old political parties and faces say their political experience is their advantage. Allies of the former president Viktor Yanukovich ousted during 2014 revolution promised to bring order and peace back to the country.

And “European Solidarity”, the party of the recent president Petro Poroshenko, is asking for a mandate to keep bringing Ukraine closer to the EU.

Source: Euronews.com

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