Future candidates are leaving their parties, join the other, and generously share their savings with the residents of districts where they plan to stand as candidates.
Maneuvers – above all
Local politicians choose political parties according to their popularity among the voters. One of the Batkivshchyna young party leaders, Mykola Zelinsjyi, who is going to stand as a candidate in district #84 (Tysmenytsia, Halych, and Tlumach rayons), had left the party because of internal conflicts. Such his decision is associated with the desire to join the party Ukraine - Forward. However, although the candidate confirms close relations with this party, he denies a possibility to join Nataia Korolevska's team.
The closer election day gets, the more charitable politicians in Prykarpattia become
The Our Ukraine Party also didn't manage its members them from a temptation to fight for parliament seats under the Vitalii Klitschko's UDAR party banner. Before the visit of Klytchko to Ivano-Frankivsk oblast in early June, three members of the Our Ukraine left the party. These were Mykola Paliichuk (ex-governor of Prykarpattia, and Viktor Yushchenko is the godfather of one of his children), Taras Parfan (ex-head of the Our Ukraine faction in Ivano-Frankovsk oblast council), and the Mayor of Yaremcha, Vasyl Onutchak. Today, all of them will run in single-member districts nominated from the UDAR party. It was a considerable personnel loss for the Our Ukraine Party. Not only has the popularity of the party decreased, but also its members which could represent the party in single-member districts went under the other party's banner. Another strong local politician, Yevhen Hirnyk, has also joined Klytchko's party. Although he belonged to the Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists, after the CUN and the Our Ukraine signed an agreement, he should have virtually be nominated from the latter.
Infinite generosity doesn't go beyond the district boundaries
The closer election day gets, the more charitable politicians in Prykarpattia become. District boundaries where such "patrons of a charity" are going to stand as candidates, accurately coincide with the territory on which their own charitable foundations and programs are operating. After the CEC had finished the redistricting process, some charitable foundations also changed their territory of operation. Particularly, the Charitable foundation "Zarady Dobra", which belongs to Bohdan Hdychynsk, ex-member of the Party of Regions (district #88, centered in Kolomyia city), and the foundation of the Front for Change party member, Yurii Derevianka (district #87, centered in Nadvirna city).
Since late last year, Charitable foundation "Zarady Dobra" presented social workers in Sniatyn rayon bicycles, and rayon citizens—free trips and accommodation in the Tourist complex "Bukovel". However, after it became known that Horodenka rayon, but not Sniatyn, will be united with Kolomyia rayon within one district, all charitable activities carried out by "Zarady dobra" Foundation in Sniatyn rayon, were stopped.
To judge from activities carried out by the charitable foundation of Yurii Derevianka, he also had changed his priorities after district boundaries were set Now he pays less attention to Kosiv and Verkhovyna rayons, which were included to the same district as Nadvirniansk rayon in 2002, and centers his activities within current district boundaries, Bohorodchansk rayon, which was joined to Nadvirniansk rayon instead of Kosiv and Verkhovyna rayons. Unlike Mr. Hdychynskyi, Yurii Derevianko continues conduction of charitable activities on the territory which belonged to the district in the past, for example construction of bathrooms inside schools of Kobaky and Kuty villages in Kosiv rayon. However, large-scale campaigns like presenting new windows to Khimchyn village school (Kosiv rayon) or new computers to Kosiv and Stopchativ village schools in Kosiv rayon, Yurii Derevianko's Foundation had failed to conduct.
Mr. Derevianko continues conduction of charitable activities on the territory which belonged to the district in the past, for example construction of bathrooms inside schools of Kobaky and Kuty villages in Kosiv rayon
Charities in Ivano-Frankivsk oblast are not limited to those of Mr. Hdychynskyi and Mr. Derevianko. The colleague of Mr. Derevianko in "The Charitable Foundation of Yurii Derevianko" and the Front for Change party, Volodymyr Hrabovetskyi, provides educational institutions and health care institutions with material support (computers, medical equipment, sports kit etc.) in the district #86 (centered in Dolyna city).
Viacheslav Kredisov, unaffiliated former deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine (2005-2006), is very attentive to the needs of schools, ambulance stations, and village councils in the district #86. He generously presents computers and medical equipment, builds bus stations and playgrounds. A construction of bridge in Sadzhava village (Bohorodchany rayon), co-financed by Mr. Kredisov, was finished in July.
A charitable foundation "Zarady Dobra", which belongs to ex-chairman of the Party of Regions faction in Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, and now uaffiliated, Bohdan Hdychynsk, conducts impressively diverse charitable campaign. It presents books to village libraries, organizes different excursions for teachers, the young, etc., installs street lights in the center of Horodenka city, organizes karaoke, festivals, competitions, sport contests etc. However, the most remarkable thing organized by Mr. Hdychynskyi, was a trip to Austria for representatives of local government bodies. 150 people, most of them – village heads and local government representatives, visited Austria for three days for adoption of the European experience of local government. The benefactor provided participants with free charter flight, three days of free meals and accommodation, and excursions.
The usual type of charity for Oleksandr Shevchenko (district #83 - Ivano-Frankivsk), the director of Tourist complex "Bukovel", is organization of free recreation in "Bukovel". For example, he sponsored a summer camp in Bukovel in June for children from socially vulnerable families, young talents and athletes from the city of Ivano-Frankivsk. It is planned to provide camp permits for 1000 children. In July, Mr. Shevchenko launched a social camp for "Children Of War" from Ivano-Frankivsk, and is organizing a three-day free recreation for them. He plans to place a hundred pensioners in every arrival.
The MP of Ukraine Mykola Kruts (Reforms for Future deputy's group) also prefers single sphere of charity. Mr. Kruts, the Honorary Chairman of the Board of JSC Ivano-Frankivsk Cement, provides cement and slate for schools, village councils and churhes in the election district #84 (centered in Tysmenytsia city). It can be proved by gratitudes, expressed by village heads, school principals and priests, published in July editions of Tlumach rayon newspaper "Zlahoda".
Regional languages put "the Regions" in very awkward position
Adoption of the Law "On the basis of language policy" not only caused indignation of oppositional politicians in Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, but also put in an awkward position Carpathian politicians involved in the Party of Regions. Vasyl Chudnov, the future candidate in district #89 (Kosiv, Verkhovyna, and Sniatyn rayons), voted "FOR" during the second reading of the law, not very popular in Prykarpattia, on 3 July. This step was ambiguously interpreted by his electorate, which is dominately Ukrainian-speaking (according to the 2001 census, 97.8% of the population in Ivano-Frankivsk oblast consider Ukrainian as their native language). After Mr. Chudnov got an understanding of those harmful effect it can have on all the work he managed to conduct in the district (meetings with citizens, lobbying for allocation of budget costs for communities in the district, in particular 7 million UAH for coast protection in Kosmach village of Kosiv rayon), which he started in late last year, he repealed his vote for controversial law. However, it wasn't the only step to save his reputation. On 18 July Vasyl Chudnov announced that he's going to run in single-member districts as self-nominated candidate, but still he remains the member of the Party of Regions. This, not very comprehensible from the first sight step, can be explained by the will to avoid party positioning. When Vasyl Chudnov will be listed in the bulletin as a self-nominated candidate, his membership in the Party of Regions will not be written next to his name.
The Law "On languages" didn't improve the situation for Bohdan Hdychynskyi too, as long voters in the district #88 (Kolomyia and Horodenko rayons) have the same opinions on languages issue as voters in district #89. Mr. Hdychynskyi has found the same way out – self-nomination. It's difficult to find another excuse for canceling public relations with the Party of Regions. On 5 July he announced, that he has left the position of chairman in the Party of Regions faction in Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Council (he headed faction since 2010), where he was nominated from the Party of Regions in single-mandate election district, but as unaffiliated. In addition to his public break up with "The Regions", Mr. Hdychynskyi placed a number of billboards and city-lights, which state that Ukrainian is the only state language.
Were dividing, but haven't divided
The Fatherland United Opposition have officially nominated only 3 of 7 candidates in single-member districts in Ivano-Frankivsk oblast. In district #86 (centered in Dolyna city) – the representative of the Front for Change and the Head of Rozhniativ rayon council, Anatolii Dyriv, in districts #88 (centered in Kolomyia city) and #89 (centered in Sniatyn city) – members of the Fatherland, Oleksandr Levytskyi and Vasyl Hladii. However, it seems that not everybody's electoral ambitions were satisfied, because the other member of the Front for Change, Volodymyr Hrabovetskyi, still strives to run in the district #86 (centered in Dolyna city) where he is conducting charitable activities since late last year, and which was given to his colleague. Mr. Hrabovetskyi is non-content with the Fatherland decision and stated in the interview to the local newspaper, that he's going to participate in the elections.
It was the beginning of confrontation, which assumed wide scope in the second half of July. Anatolii Dyriv was accused of hiding behind deputy's mandate of the next convocation of Parliament in local online media. On 25 July a group of young people with posters "Dolyn rayon is against Dyriv" picketed press-conference of Anatolii Hrytcenko in Ivano-Frankivsk. On 27 July was picketed the Front for Change office for the support of Volodymyr Hrabovetskyi instead of Anatolii Dyriv as a candidate in district #86. Besides that, when picketing in the capital, the supporters of Hrabovetskyi demanded that his colleague in charitable foundation and in party, Yurii Derevianko, was nominated as a candidate in district #87 (centered in Nadvirna city) from the opposition. The appearance of one more surname in the conflict shows that another conflict is imminent.
Ivan Maruniak, the coordinator of observation campaign during 2012 Parliamentary elections in Ivano-Frankivsk oblast. Konrtakty.UA