Wealthy, entertainers, relatives fill party lists

And it’s a motley crew indeed.

There’s a collection of writers, singers and athletes. Others seem to be running for parliament on the sole virtue of being someone’s child, driver or friend.

The candidates’ list of the pro-presidential and ruling Party of Regions is a case in point.
Viktor Yanukovych Jr., the 31-year-old son of the president, was high on the list for the third time. Yet a recent study by Chesno civic group uncovered several of his shortcomings as a parliament deputy, among them: he failed to declare his income, failed to vote in person and failed to take part in the everyday work of parliament and its committees.

The opposition’s list also smells of nepotism. Iryna Lutsenko, the wife of imprisoned former Interior Minister Yuriy Lustenko, took spot number 18 on the list. She told LB.ua news site that initially the choice was between her and her brother in-law Serhiy, but her husband ended up picking her.

“This is an honor for me. On my part, serious work will be done if I become a deputy. If I don’t, I will continue working to defend my husband and represent the interests of the opposition,” she said.
Many relatives of officials currently in power will end up running as Party of Regions candidates either though the proportional system or in majority constituencies. 

The general prosecutor’s son, Artyom Pshonka, will run in a majority constituency in the industrial city of Zaporizhya, while the prime minister’s son, Oleksiy Azarov, will run in Slavyansk in Donetsk Oblast.
One possible future member of parliament can enter after prison. Ex- Prime minister Pavlo Lazarenko, who is serving his prison term in United States where he was convicted for embezzlement and money laundering, He announced on Aug. 2 that he will run with his long-dormant Hromada Party. Lazarenko’s prison term ends in Nov. 1, 2012, two days after the elections.

But you don’t have to be someone’s son to get the backing of parliament. 

Volodymyr Maltsev, the former driver of billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, is on the party list again while Akhmetov has decided to bow out.

Many parties chose to fill their lists with entertainers, writers and producers. In the most famous case, Nataliya Korolevska’s Forward Ukraine party managed to recruit world famous footballer Andriy Shevchenko to run on her ticket.

Shevchenko, better known for his athleticism than his intellect, said he will pay attention to social issues if elected. “I want to do something for my country,” he said.

The same party offered the third spot to actor Ostap Stupka, whose famous actor father, Bohdan, died last month. Critics said this is done to boost the popularity of a party that has no real program or support base.

The Party of Regions has traditionally had athletes in its ranks. They often showed up just for brawls in parliament. This is the case with Olympic wrestling champion Elbrus Tedeev and Oleksandr Volkov, a former basketball player. Both are again on the list.

The party also has its share of entertainers: pop singer Taisiya Povaliy was given a prominent second spot on the party list. In her inauguration speech she praised party and president the country’s progress.

Vitali Klitschko, the heavyweight boxing champion, put forward a writer for his UDAR (“punch”) party. Maria Matios, one of Ukraine’s most prolific writers, features second on his list.

Svoboda has an actor in its top five, Bogdan Beniuk, as well as the brother of party leader Oleg Tyahnybok’s. Andriy Tyahnybok will be backed by the party in a majority constituency in Lviv. He is currently a member of the Lviv City Council, representing the same party.

Yuriy Lukanov, a political analyst, took to Facebook to comment on the motley crew: The next Rada “will do plays written by Maria Matios. The main characters will be played by Bohdan Beniuk, Taisiya Povaliy and Ostap Stupka. And Andriy Shevchenko will entertain by juggling a ball.”

Hopefully, someone will be able to write laws that benefit the nation, too.