Elections in Ukraine

What do a chocolate magnate, an energy tycoon later jailed on corruption charges, and a TV comedian have in common? They are all running in Ukraine's presidential election today.

Zelensky casting his ballot

That may sound like a joke, but it's serious business for a country at war with Russia. They are the three lead candidates for the job: the incumbent, a former Prime Minister, and a comedian playing the President in a television series. If there is no outright majority winner, the top two candidates will duke it out in a second election on April 21. The incumbent, Petro Poroshenko's approval rating has gained some ground recently but the comedian, Volodymyr Zelensky may score 26.6% of the vote according to one poll. 

Zelensky is the star of 'Слуга Народу,' or Servant of the People, a Ukrainian television series carried on Netflix. He has high recognition and his name is a household word. In the made-for-TV series, Zelensky plays a schoolteacher who unexpectedly becomes President of Ukraine after becoming famous for an anti-corruption rant that goes viral on social media. Servant of the People is, in essence, a campaign advertisement for Zelensky. A new episode aired just days before the election. In reality, he's a political newcomer with no real platform or experience. They say that comedians are highly intelligent people. Let's see how long he can stand up to the pressures of facing down Putin. 

The third candidate is former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. The most recent Rating Group Ukraine poll* showed Tymoshenko running neck and neck with Poroshenko, each with support from about 17% of likely voters. Tymoshenko was the head of an energy company in the 1990s, became Prime Minister twice, and was later jailed over a natural gas agreement that she signed with Russia. She is widely believed to be corrupt among the Ukrainians and the victim of political retribution by others. 

Personally, I have liked Poroshenko. He's been in a tough place. He lost Crimea and Donbas on his watch. But he got Ukraine through the separation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Russian Orthodox Church, possibly halted the complete invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and managed to get the EU and NATO to consider Ukraine's position in Europe. Given that he is fighting off Putin, it's not difficult to understand why it would be hard to get a really high approval rating. 

I am suspect of Tymoshenko and I don't know Zelensky. Looks like I'll have to watch Netflix tonight.

*МОНІТОРИНГ ЕЛЕКТОРАЛЬНИХ НАСТРОЇВ УКРАЇНЦІВ (22-27 БЕРЕЗНЯ 2019 РОКУ)

Дата публікації: 28.03.2019

http://ratinggroup.ua/research/ukraine/monitoring_elektoralnyh_nastroeniy_ukraincev_22-27_marta_2019_goda.html

International Women's Day

Marc Bennetts a journalist in Moscow reported on how Russia marked International Women’s Day. International Women’s Day, a public holiday in Russia, has long lost any connection to feminist issues. The 8th of March has become all about men giving women flowers and complementing them on their looks.

Vladimir Putin offered his own tribute to Russian women, “You find time for everything – at work and at home, and yet remain beautiful, bright, charming and the centre of gravity for the whole family, uniting it with your love, as well as your ability to inspire and support, comfort and console.”
Putin’s comments came after he told female police officers, “What does a young woman need to maintain her figure? Three things: a workout machine, a masseuse, and a suitor.” He honoured female mounted police officers by riding alongside them.

This year, a bomb disposal robot handed bunches of yellow tulips to young girls in an online video. In Yekaterinburg, servicemen posted perhaps the day’s oddest tribute to Russia’s women, posing with assault rifles alongside ballerinas in an empty metro station. The project was entitled “The strength of a man is in the tenderness and love of a woman.” In Crimea, little green men in fatigues mimicked those seen on the peninsula before it was annexed. They handed out flowers on the streets. In St. Petersburg, men crashed into a feminist coffee shop forcing flowers on women during a women's only event where reportedly one woman sprayed them with pepper spray. 

The sad thing is, they don't see anything wrong with their behaviour. Domestic violence is a serious problem. About 8,000 Russian women are estimated to die annually from injuries caused by their partners. The situation was exacerbated in 2017 when Putin signed off on a law that partially decriminalised domestic violence. There were some attempts to promote women's rights on the day under the banner “It’s Not Her Fault” to raise funds for a charity that assists survivors of domestic abuse..

I'm afraid it's not much better in Ukraine. Ukraine, of course, celebrated similarly under communism. But last year, in 2018, the holiday was removed from the calendar. Women, who had been happy to be treated nicely on one day of the year became angry. Men who were used to doing something special on one day of the year got confused. And now the future of International Women's Day in Ukraine is uncertain. Why are women respected on just one day of the year? How about International Women's Year every year?