Recently, talks about the possibility and expediency of holding urgent parliamentary elections have intensified in the information space. Recall that, according to the Constitution, the next elections should have been held this autumn, if not for the war. However, during the martial law regime, any elections in Ukraine are impossible. But many Ukrainian politicians, who are gradually recovering from the shock of the onset of large-scale aggression, are haunted by the theoretical possibility of converting their imaginary ratings into votes and parliamentary mandates. We observe how individual public figures who disappeared from the information space, some abroad, some in more comfortable places in western Ukraine, gradually return and suddenly become outstanding volunteers and caring defenders of their potential voters.
The ambitions of politicians blind their eyes so much that they do not even pay attention to President Zelensky’s statement about the impossibility of elections during the war, which he made in an interview with the influential publication The Washington Post. They are also not convinced by public sentiments – according to a poll conducted by the Razumkov Center in early May, the vast majority of Ukrainians (61.6%) were in favor of extending the powers of the current Verkhovna Rada until the end of martial law, no matter how long it lasts.
There were similar politicians in the Cherkasy region. Back in April of this year, the Ukrainian media reported on the formation of an unnatural tandem between Anton Yatsenko, a people’s self-nominated candidate from the 200th district, and Vitaliy Voitsekhovsky, the former mayor of Zolotonosha, who was elected from the Servant of the People party. What can these politicians have in common, except for the Party of Regions, thanks to which they once began to realize their political ambitions?
According to the political observer Yuri Saswhich he expressed to 18000.com.ua, is, first of all, an attempt to increase his influence in the basic regions, even if this leads to a conflict with the presidential vertical of power: “In fact, Anton and Vitaliy united conflicts with the chairman of the Cherkasy Regional State Administration, Igor Taburts. Voitsekhovsky, apparently, crossed the road in the personnel issue at the Irkleyevsky fish hatchery. And Yatsenko – in the issue of control over the faction “For the Future” in the regional council.”
But conflicts both arise and end, especially among politicians. A much more serious motivation can be an assessment of one’s own prospects in politics. And the prospects of the people’s deputies mentioned are reminiscent of the morning haze over the Zolotonoshka River: it is generally beautiful, but nothing can be seen.
By the way, the city of Uman is the center of the 200 district of Anton Yatsenko.
Vitaliy Voitsekhovsky has another motivation for “unnatural blocking”. First of all, it’s an insult. Resentment against his fellow party members in Kyiv, who did not support him in the political expansion of the Cherkasy region and upholding business interests in his native Zolotonoshsky district. And then Voitsekhovsky resorted to “blackmail” – he publicly rode through the presidential appointments in the region.
And as a result, Voitsekhivsky significantly lost in his own positions both in the region and on Bankova, in the Office of the President of Ukraine, where loud personnel changes have recently taken place. The popularity of Vitaliy Voitsekhovsky in Kyiv political circles has not been increased by journalistic investigations that have exposed his possible involvement in corruption schemes, pressure on local businesses and tax evasion. And although the deputy still has an alternate airfield in the form of the city of Zolotonosha, over which he actually retained control, the political air of the Kyiv hills excites and intoxicates more than his native Cherkasy region. Although it is in the Cherkasy region that a key role is played in the future project of Vitaly and Anton.
Despite the envisaged cancellation of majoritarian elections and taking into account the peculiarities of the current electoral law of Ukraine, which has a different regional reference than the previous one, it is planned to make the Cherkasy region (namely, districts 197 and 200) the main electoral core of the project and, in the future, try to attract other majoritarians from Cherkasy region. Negotiations with them, with varying results, are already underway. Given that the majority of Cherkasy majoritarians are elected from the pro-government Servant of the People party, such a step can be considered completely unfriendly or even aggressive towards the current government.
But this does not stop Vitaly Voitsekhovsky, and Anton Yatsenko has nothing to lose, except for the mandate. Despite the bright unnaturalness of such blocking, which has already become the subject of folklore, active work, after a short pause, resumed with renewed vigor.
According to people close to one of the deputies, the politicians allegedly agreed on the following distribution of functionality: “Yatsenko took over the initial financing of the project to attract the main sponsors, and Voitsekhovsky promised to negotiate with Bankova and convince the President’s Office of the usefulness of such a project, as well as find powerful donors, including among local businesses. Even the working name of the party is being discussed: “Own” or “Local”, which is due to an attempt to create an illusion among the voters of the Cherkasy region that they are involved in a political project.”
It is interesting that the main tool of party building will be familiar to both one and the other majoritarians – building the so-called electoral pyramids. In other words, a clear hierarchical system of bribery. And this process has already begun today — social media reports began to appear about gifting voters with branded handouts from Wojciechowski’s team. And even without mentioning the “Servants of the people.”
Will Vitaly Voitsekhovsky and Anton Yatsenko be able to become “their own” for voters outside their constituencies – time, political will and the electoral code will determine. But the fact that they all cease to be their own for former political allies is already becoming obvious. And, depending on the timing of the upcoming parliamentary elections, the union of the “toxic” Anton Yatsenko and the “mercenary” Vitaliy Voitsekhovsky can be assigned one of two roles: either the exponential political destruction of both deputies even before the electoral process, as an example of other regional figures who dream about an independent game or destruction extended in time, which will end in a crushing electoral defeat. But, as we can see lately, the current government is more susceptible to quick decisions.
Source: Fakty
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have a degree in journalism from a well-renowned university. I am currently an author at Daily News Hack, where I mostly cover politics news. I have a vast amount of experience in the field and I am always looking for new opportunities to learn and grow.
