The leader of the Svoboda All-Ukrainian Union, Oleh Tiahnybok, has said that it would be logical for UDAR Party leader Vitali Klitschko to run for mayor of Kyiv, but if he refuses, such an offer should be made to Batkivschyna Party leader Arseniy Yatseniuk and him personally.
"It's obvious for us that Vitali Klitschko repeatedly ran for city mayor and he not only has experience in this issue, but also a certain rating among residents of Kyiv. Of course, if we choose between three of us [Klitschko, Yatseniuk and Tiahnybok], Klitschko has more chances of winning the election and beat [Head of Kyiv City State Administration Oleksandr] Popov," he said at a news conference on Tuesday.
"However, I clearly understand that if there is a single candidate from the opposition, then it will not matter whether it is Klitschko, Yatseniuk, Tiahnybok or anyone else. If this person has the support of three, he will definitely win the election," Tiahnybok said.
"So it would be logical, so to say, to offer the right of the first night to Vitali Klitschko," he said, adding that Klitschko knows such a position, as it was discussed with him.
Tiahnybok said that the process of nominating a single opposition candidate in the mayoral election had currently been discussed not only by the leaders of opposition parties, but also by the Kyiv branches of the three parties. He said that the city branches of the opposition parties were pressurizing their leaders, demanding that they make a decision and decide on the candidate for mayor so that grassroots organizations can start working with the people of Kyiv and hold election campaigning.
"I personally believe that we need to reach agreement between ourselves. On the other hand, of course, we respect the position of our partner Vitali Klitschko. At the moment he is not ready to give the answer. He promised that he would do so soon and answer whether this will be his candidacy, or perhaps he will offer another candidate," he said.
"If all opposition leaders refuse to run for Kyiv mayor, then everybody offers his candidacy. Perhaps, we will determine the highest rating, perhaps, a more successful candidate. We also need to think about one more thing - not only that we found a good candidate, but also what kind of mayor he will be," he said.
Yatseniuk, in turn, said that Kyiv "is a key platform for the victory in the presidential elections of 2015."
"We're well aware that if Vitali Klitschko runs for mayor of Kyiv with our support, he will not just become the mayor of Kyiv, he will also receive an additional advantage in the presidential campaign. But we understand perfectly well that we'll never present Kyiv as a gift to Popov and the Party of Regions," Yatseniuk said.
"Therefore, we're ready to step away from our own ambitions for only one purpose - to show the overall victory of the opposition in the city of Kyiv," he said, adding that it will be the victory of the three major opposition parties.
