Ukraine falls into uneasy pre-election lull

KIEV, January 16 (Itar-Tass) -- Saturday, January 16 in Ukraine is
pre-election silence day. Starting from the midnight any campaigning for
any of the candidates who will contest the presidency in the January 17
election is prohibited.

Such a measure exists in the legislation of many
countries around the world. The electorate must have a chance to stop to
think and to make the last choice without last-minute external pressures.
The city's utility services have had a really hard time clearing the
streets of election posters and billboards advertising the innumerable
merits of the eighteen contenders for the position of the head of state.
Street kiosks that have to the last minute distributed election leaflets
and handouts have been removed. Television channels are back to their
original broadcasting schedules.
There is the unanimity the just-ended election campaign was far less
turbulent than the presidential election of 2004. In a sense it was a
farewell to the 'orange' ideology. All presidential candidates have
eagerly used the experience gained during the early parliamentary
elections of 2007. Local observers say Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko is
the indisputable leader as to the amount of electioneering products her
team has delivered.
The election campaign was kick-started after the official registration
of candidates ended on November 13. And starting from November 23 the
candidates enjoyed access to airtime on state-run television channels. In
contrast to the previous campaigns the election race favorites decided
against participating in televised debates. Of the 18 candidates only
thirteen agreed to duel with their rivals live in front of TV cameras.
Yulia Timoshenko, the leader of the Party of Regions, Viktor Yanukovich,
President Viktor Yushchenko, parliamentary speaker Vladimir Litvin and
former parliamentary speaker Arseny Yatsenyuk - all declared they would
not enter into discussions with their adversaries. One day before the
elections, though, Timoshenko tried to challenge Yanukovich on TV, but the
invitation was not accepted.
Analysts say Yanukovich's election campaign was very "smooth and
calm." Central to it were problems that worry the man in the street the
most - industrial recovery and social guarantees. On Saturday morning
Yanukovich will go for a prayer to the Kievo-Pecherskaya Lavra (the Kiev
Monastery of the Caves) - away from the media and voters.
Timoshenko's political advertising was classical - very technological
and very creative. Suffice it to recall her pictures with the albino
tiger, at once dubbed Tiger Yulia. One has to admit, though, that far from
all people from different walks of life were unambiguously happy about the
prime minister's endless string of public appearances and her firm
commitment to high fashion clothes, which Timoshenko had on while meeting
with medical workers, teachers and rural residents.
Professional experts have taken note of the balanced nature of
Vladimir Litvin's campaign and its main watchword - 'Soul and Land are not
for Sale', and the calm tone of political advertising in favor of banker
Sergei Tigipko.
As for the so-called 'creativity' of Vasily Gumenyuk, who before
joining the list of candidates managed to legally change his surname to
Protyvsikh (literally meaning 'Against All' or 'None-of-the-Above'), the
general public's response to this eccentric escapade was largely
indifferent. As well as to the flock of sheep his electioneering agents
had brought to the building of the Central Election Commission to help the
candidate drive home the message about his opinion of the powers that be.
Kiev's Mayor Leonid Chernovetsky, who does not participate in the
campaign, has proved an electioneering trump card all of a sudden. After
the ice paralysis that occurred in Kiev through his fault on the eve of
the elections each candidate who has vowed to achieve Chernovetsky's
dismissal surely scored extra political points. The mayor has angered too
many. A protest rally is due on Saturday with the aim to draw the public's
attention to the illegal elimination of nearly one hectare of greenery in
a city park.
The ban on electioneering ads is not applicable to the Central
Election Commission, which has the right to explain in public the voting
rights and to urge the people to go and express their will. Other
political activities are allowed, too. In front of the Ukrainian Interior
Ministry non-governmental organizations will stage a picket for the
resignation of Interior Minister Yuri Lutsenko. In the meantime, Lutsenko
himself will be explaining to the media what is to be done to make the
elections safe.
The most beautiful and harmonious action will take place in the center
of Kiev. The 50-day-long round-the-clock vigil Prayer for Ukraine will end
with a joint prayer by members of different religions and confessions in
support of a message from the hierarchs of all of the country's churches
for holding a fair and calm presidential election.
In the meantime, the voters will be digesting the information they
have received from the candidates and trying to cope with their worries
over another fall of the hryvnia. For this weekend the National Bank
placed the national currency below the psychologically important mark of
eight hryvnias per dollar.

-0-str