Kyiv City Election Ads: Meet the Mannequins!

This year’s high-stakes battle for the capital features some of the most creative stuf in the history of Ukrainian political advertising. Well, creative often means copycat.

Watch this.



And this.



Apparently, the Free Hugs Campaign has touched the heart of the PRU mayoral candidate, MP Vasyl Horbal. A shrewd and articulate person, Horbal reportedly controls UkrGasBank and claims to speak German and English. Also starring in that video, in order of appearance, are rescue raider Nestor Shufrych, Tymobuster Inna Bohoslovska, boyscout Volodymyr Filipov, Ukrainophobe Dmytro Tabachnyk. Exit line: “There is still hope.”

More on the "Hug Me" video:

Narrator: Regionalists presented a commercial in which mayoral candidate Vasyl Horbal hugs with everyone eager to respond to his HUGS sign. Also hugging with passersby in that footage are Nestor Shufrych, Inna Bohoslovska and Dmytro Tabachnyk.

PRU mayoral candidate Vasyl Horbal: Naturally, this idea has already started in various countries of the world and we decided to pick up the baton, because indeed in our lives we lack a little bit of warmth, candor, sincerity.

Narrator: Following the presentation, the leitmotif of which is “There is still hope,” Horbal and his associates proceeded to hugging Kyivites amidst Khreshchatyk. Horbal maintains that he has no enemies among his opponents. He is ready to hug every one of them.

Unlike “I Got a Crush…On Medved,” this is not a spoof. So no hugs from me, guys.
Or how about this “vox populi” ad?

Сivil. Sincere. Tolerant. Wise. Honest. Literate. Stable. Kind. Smart. Strong. Knowledgeable. Consistent. Candid. Straightforward. Loyal. Responsible.

The 16 words that will change the lives of Kyivites. Party of Regions, No. 16.

Witness the plight of stabilnist and the sudden change. The copy uses a Ukrainian cover version of “All the Same” by Sick Puppies to set the tone and electrify the audience. Sharpened by the masses’ hypnotic recital of the Party of Regions’ virtues, the exit line aims to plow a “change” plank into the voter mindset.

Well-choreographed? Yes. Consistent? No. When an oath of silence befalls the siren calls for stabilnist, we have different strokes for different folks. Besides, epithets like literate, knowledgeable, and responsible sound sarcastic when applied to the Party leader.

Dual objective: Grab the stabilnist/pro-Russian electorate, but do target Kyiv’s change-oriented youthful electorate.

Here’s another Horbal commercial. In this one, the man parodies his competitors, trying to pull their masks off them.

The strong mayor. [Klychko] The smart mayor. [Turchynov] The honest mayor. [Chernovetsky?] The “not ashamed” mayor. [Katerynchuk] The “Kyivites first” mayor. [Pylypyshyn] Vasyl Horbal, the new mayor.

His message: “Here I am, the guy with no mask. Don’t you just love the way I touch my chin?”

Finally, the man produces a confession:

Vasyl Horbal: I’ve always been the first. Having graduated from Kyiv Institute of International Relations, I worked and studied in Germany. At age 25, I already was running one of Ukraine’s banks. At 31, I became an MP. Why am I running for mayor? I want Kyiv to be the first.

Narrator: Vasyl Horbal. Always first.

Moving along, don’t miss this slicing-and-dicing ad from the UNP, cast in an imperial Russia setting.

Party host: Cake!
Narrator: Stop the greedy powers-that-be! Ukrainian People’s Party.

Meanwhile, the Omelchenko Bloc has churned out a few slice-of-life commercials Omelchenko eroticizing the idea of the former mayor’s comeback and his know-how.

Lady 1: What, prices are up again, but where’s quality of service?
Lady 2: Look at the water bills, but there’s no water!
Lady 1: We have to bring Omelchenko back. When we had Omelchenko, we had order.

Narrator: Oleksander Omelchenko Bloc. We know how.

Narrator: Who will save Kyiv?
Driver: It’s impossible to drive. Enough of these traffic jams!
Narrator: Who will free our roads from congestion? Oleksander Omelchenko Bloc. We know how.

Eager to retain its power, Chernoco banks on public transportation improvements and pension increments as vote getters.

The first bell at School No. 191 rang in 1968. And from day one Valentyna Ivanivna [patronymic] has taught at this school. 50 years of work experience. Thousands of students. Today, thanks to an initiative of the Chernovetsky Bloc, they receive monthly increments to their modest pensions. They deserve our respect and gratitude. Kyiv is the only municipality in Ukraine where seniors receive increments.

Transportation is the lifeblood of any city. Where in Ukraine is the most state-of-the-art public transportation? Kharkiv’s bus fleet, 33 buses. Lviv, 12 buses. Only in Kyiv is there a full-fledged public transportation system developing rapidly to fit European standards. We guarantee the fastest and the most convenient transportation for Kyivites. Leonid Chernovetsky Bloc.

NUNS no longer talks about “one law for all.” Nor does it talk about lifting parliamentary immunity. They don’t speak of hope in the house of a man who has been hanged.

We’re running for the Kyiv City Council. Our objective: to free Kyiv from corrupt government. Our number on the ballot: 36. Yuriy Lutsenko, Nasha Ukrayina-Narodna Samooboroba.

BYuT commercials stress forward-looking financials and caution against betting on a losing horse, which, given Turchynov’s uphill battle, sounds like bluffing.

PM Yulia Tymoshenko: During the last five months, we have considerably increased budget revenue, overcoming corruption and the shadowy economy. That is why, starting September 2008, we will introduce a unified pay scale for all public employees: educators, scientists, medics. It means that starting September 1 and by year-end their salaries will rise 30 percent. No political intrigues will stop us. Make no mistake: Things will be fine as we move on.

PM Yulia Tymoshenko: In the three and a half years since Maidan, we’ve only seen hollow speeches. Instead of the corruption busting, we’ve had corruption boosting. Instead of justice, we’ve had newfangled injustice, all over Ukraine as well as in Kyiv. With this in mind, our team, through great effort, has contrived new elections of Kyiv mayor. And for this job, we offer Kyivites the best we've got: Oleksandr Turchynov. Now it’s up to Kyiv. Don’t be a loser.

Tymoshenko, who heads the BYuT city council ticket, speaks with a soft voice and exudes her brand-name Joan of Arc aura. Scapegoated for rampant inflation, she needs a healthpack to mobilize support in her final 2009 showdown.

Videos uploaded from:
http://gorbal.kiev.ua/foto_video/video/1372.html
http://gorbal.kiev.ua/foto_video/video/1458.html
http://gorbal.kiev.ua/foto_video/video/1372.html
http://gorbal.kiev.ua/foto_video/video/1385.html
http://censor.net.ua/go/offer/ResourceID/84658.html
http://censor.net.ua/go/offer/ResourceID/84633.html
http://censor.net.ua/go/offer/ResourceID/84570.html
http://censor.net.ua/go/offer/ResourceID/84452.html
http://censor.net.ua/go/offer/ResourceID/84310.html
http://censor.net.ua/go/offer/ResourceID/84162.html

Kyiv Mayoral Elections 2008: Face the Candidates

As of today, the main contenders are incumbent Mayor Leonid Chernovetsky, world-famous boxer Vitaliy Klychko, and Vice-Premier Oleksandr Turchynov, BYuT.

Polls put Chernovetsky, who has improved his standing, and Klychko, who pins hope on late deciders, in the high 20s to low 30s range.

With an approval rating of just 4 percent, BYuT's pick for mayor, Turchynov, faces an uphill battle in converting his party's strong local showings into personal gains.

Mayor beater Yuriy Lutsenko, NUNS, chose not to run. Vasyl Horbal of the Party of Regions will not make it, and neither will former mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko.

However, in a single-round election, smalltime and namesake candidates have considerable nuisance value: siphoning votes. Their power may determine the outcome.

Vitaliy Klychko: For me, the decision to run for mayor of Kyiv is balanced, thoughtful and clear-cut. I’m not going to quit, and all agreements on fielding a joint candidate are a matter of political agreement.

Vitaliy Klychko: You know, I’ll use my hands if I have to; I, for one, will use my hands, my feet, and, primarily, my head. I am responsible for the team — the team of professionals — that I bring with me. Those are professional people, moral people, people that are known in Kyiv: Vitalyi Klychko, Ivan Plachkov.

Comment: To an ordinary Kyivite, Ivan Plachkov, a former Energy Minister, hardly rings a bell. And what about those land barons on your teams?

Kyiv Mayor Leonid "Kosmos" Chernovetsky: I’m going to run my campaign on a positive note, I don’t…I know a lot of things, I can talk for days about the misdeeds of various people, but I myself, as a believer, can’t say that I’m absolutely sinless. There are no sinless people in this world. There was only one person, Jesus Christ, but he ascended to heaven.

Comment: And what planet are you heading for after you’re done with your earthly business? But wait a minute, aren’t Christians supposed to follow Christ? Isn’t that the idea behind Christianity?

Vice-Premier Oleksandr Turchynov: Unfortunately, there are historical examples, namely Hitler, who, before attacking some democratic country, would accuse it of all mortal sins. And after that, to promote some interests of his own, he would start the aggression. Unfortunately, the actions of Mr. Baloha remind me of this historical example. You know that our bloc has done everything to build the coalition, our bloc has done everything to ensure the coalition’s normal functioning, and will continue working within the boundaries of the coalition agreement to carry out the duties that we assumed before the Ukrainian people as well as before our allies.

Comment: Too much lofty rhetoric, too little time to make the BYuT brand work for you. Any land lovers on your team?

Yuriy Lutsenko, Minister of the Interior: The full brunt of responsibility for defeating Chernovetsky lies with the BYuT and Klychko Bloc leadership. Once again, I call on them to use political acumen, I call on them to meet and I’m ready to pose as a moderator during that meeting in order to reach a serious, principled agreement to join our forces.

Comment: Any progress on the X-files? The truth is out there?

Videos uploaded from:
http://censor.net.ua/go/offer/ResourceID/81686.html
http://censor.net.ua/go/offer/ResourceID/81678.html
http://censor.net.ua/go/offer/ResourceID/81667.html
http://censor.net.ua/go/offer/ResourceID/81582.html
http://censor.net.ua/go/offer/ResourceID/81447.html