Election apathy

Although many speak of "Ukraine fatigue" as something in Europe and the US causing a decline in political interest in the country, perhaps the term should be broadened to explain the feeling many Ukrainians themselves are experiencing. With the elections on Sunday, there is no shortage of news items in the international press regarding how little ground has been covered since the 2004 Orange Revolution, the Russian-leaning perspectives of almost all of the 18 candidates, and the political apathy among the electorate.

The headlines are less than inspiring:

"The Orange Revolution fades to black as Russia rises again in Ukraine" (The Globe and Mail)

In Ukraine, '04 Euphoria Has Turned to Despair (The New York Times)

Ukraine's "Orange villain" seeks last laugh (Telegraph)

Despair in West Over Ukraine (The Moscow Times)

Apathy High, Expectations Low Ahead Of Ukrainian Presidential Vote (Radio Free Europe)

Many journalists have picked up on Protyvsikh, the candidate who legally changed his name to "Against everyone." The NYT article above describes him as follows: "A former customs official from the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, he subscribes to no particular ideology, has the flimsiest of platforms and does not plan to tour the country before the vote, reasoning that 'these trips cost a great deal and the people are sick of them.'"

Another protest candidate - albeit satirical - has also made news: Yevhen Lupan. In the following video, he jokes:

I will steal. I am saying this frankly and transparently. But each month I will report how much I stole, and where the money went. (Translation from Radio Free Europe article above)

Also in the news this week are votes for sale online, but whether this is a sign of blatant corruption or an act of defiance in a corrupt system is open to interpretation. Regardless, 3/4 of Ukrainians say they would not sell their votes "under any circumstances." Voter turnout is expected to be low by Ukrainian standards - around 75 percent.

One of my favorite Ukrainian bloggers, Veronica at Neeka's Backlog, has the following to say:

It's hard to avoid mixing some unmixable things when using such a cursory approach to Ukrainian politics as mine is now: Kyiv used to be cleaner under Kuchma; Gongadze disappeared under Kuchma; Yushchenko has failed to solve the Gongadze case; streets might be cleaner under someone else than the current folks, but none of them are going to do anything about the Gongadze case.

Back to square one: whatever.

And I'm now late for breakfast, too: screw them all.