On March29, AUU Svoboda conducted the 28th party congress, focused on nomination of presidential candidate for special elections. 568 delegates from 24 Ukrainian oblasts and the AR Crimea registered on the event. Everyone applauded to delegates from the Crimea due to its annexation by Russian troops. Besides the issue of presidential post, delegates discusses political situation, activities of the party in 2013-2014, and nomination of MP candidate in district #83 (Ivano-Frankivsk).

 "We didn't advertise ourselves, and didn't conduct any activities within any future election campaigns. We only did our job, without thinking who will be in power tomorrow, after the criminal regime falls," - told leader of the party O. Tiahnybok to his party members. He has also mentioned that the party has lost its powers during the revolution. Then he read the list of all killed and wounded during the revolution, stressing their belonging or adherence to the political party Svoboda. Simultaneously, members of the Svoboda received information about V. Klychko supporting P. Poroshenko on Presidential election. Thus, they started to discuss it actively.

The party leader continued his speech, though. According to O. Tiahnybok, it was the AUU Svoboda who started the revolution, and its nationalistic slogan "Slava Ukraini! – Heroyam Slava!" (Glory to Ukraine! – Glory to its Heroes!) became the national revolution slogan. All the speech of O. Tiahnybok pertained to the Maidan and the joy of victory. He stressed that political party is in power now and should use its resources differently.

However, when O. Tiahnybok received information that Klychko supports Poroshenko, his reaction was ironical. Having received information that Klychko will stand as a candidate for the Mayor of Kyiv, fellow party members of Tiahnybok jokingly proposed I. Miroshnychenko to compete with the leader of UDAR.

Environment minister Andrii Mokhnyk also took the floor. He said that they remain members of the Svoboda, no matter which posts they hold, because they hold them thanks to the party. According to Mokhnyk, Tiahnybok is the only leader of Maidan who will run for President, what is quite positive because he's a nationalist.

Vice Prime Minister Oleksandr Sych told party members about the history of the revolution and complicated work in coalition government

Admiral and ex-Minister of Defense was also present on the congress, and explained his activities in the Ministry by the absence of political will of the government leaders.

The Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, Ihor Shvaika, shared his impression of the position, and told about the total corruption in this sphere. Ihor Shvaika emphasized that we can be proud of corn crops, and said that he's calm because he works on the land.

Iryna Farion emphasized in her turn that she cannot be as calm as Shvaika, because she's "not on the land, but in terrarium". She said that she's ready to throw rocks at her colleagues from the other parties, but "Oleh Tiahnybok says I mustn't". The speech of Ms. Farion was traditionally dedicated to Ukrainian language issue.

Ruslan Andriiko, who is responsible for the youth policy, said that they were short of weapons on Maidan: "There is only one reason we've won – the regime has choked with our blood. The war wasn't equal, because we unarmed attacked against armed to the teeth degenerates. The only thing I regret is that we didn't have weapons. We could dispatch into eternity more those degenerates receiving Russian citizenship now."

Bohdan Beniuk, Sydir Kyzin, Eduard Leonov, Oleh Syrotiuk, Andrii Illienko and Yurii Mykhalchyshyn spoke afterwards. The latter compared political force to a ship: "Our captain is a person, who became the architect of Ukrainian dream during the last years. The dream, which everybody thought is unbelievable and inaccessible.

Before the question about nomination of candidate for the President of Ukraine from the AUU Svoboda, a woman approached O. Tiahnybok and presented him an embroidered shirt. Tiahnybok had put it on right away. He boasted that he has more than thirty embroidered shirts, but none of them is embroidered with glass beds and with cuff links.

The nomination of Oleh Tiahnybok for the President of Ukraine was supported by 568 delegates. Tiahnybok emphasized that "these presidential race won't be the elections of political technologies, because all of us, especially the government, need these elections to be fair and transparent, in order to regain the trust of the people. Thus, these elections will be, perhaps, the first in Ukraine, not "the fight of political technologies" or "moneybags". These elections will be ideological, when world views collide."

The people present in the hall chanted "Tiahnybok!"

Maksym Zapaskin, who protected the candidate Oleksandr Marchenko in district #90 during parliamentary elections, was appointed as candidate's representative in the CEC.

The last issue considered on the congress was nomination of a candidate from AUU Svoboda in district #83. It was agreed to nominate the Head of oblast branch of AUU Svoboda in Ivano-Frankivsk oblast Maksym Popovych.

O. Tiahnybok had mentioned during the briefing that he considers cooperation with the other nationalistic party, and will be glad if this party will be in the Parliament.

 

Ruslana Velychko