Poroshenko and Selensky before the runoff in Ukraine: Mud fight in the stadium

Presidential election Ukraine

all articles

"I'm not her opponent, I'm her judgment," calls Volodymyr Selensky to his opponent.

"You are a doll of an oligarch," Petro Poroshenko canted back. It will be in person in the Olympic Stadium in Kiev, where the two will meet for the first time in this election campaign. There stand the incumbent Poroshenko, surrounded by soldiers, veterans and his family on the one hand, the challenger and TV producer Selensky with friends and family on the other side of the stage.

After all, the two are on a stage. At the beginning it was still different, everyone stood on his own stage, which were built there, where else are the goals at the football matches. They were cheered by their supporters gathered in front of it in the interior of the stadium, guarded by police officers, the politicians' camps separated by extra fences in the center of the arena.

In the middle, the area in the stadium is extra separate - that says a lot about the mood before the election on Sunday, as well as the 2 stages #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/lgv2CL1Q8v

This split says a lot about the mood in the country, in which for weeks a campaign for the highest office of Ukraine is held, which has recently become increasingly emotional, even hysterical. Before disputes in the stadium was even warned.

There is a TV debate announced for the evening. But what will see the approximately 22,000 guests in the arena, the viewers on the TV and on the Internet - even in Russia will broadcast the event - marks a low point in this already dirty election campaign.

The Russia theme

A smear campaign, so-called black PR, hit Ukraine, with the main focus on the challenger Selensky: The TV producer is labeled as a drug addict, as one who wants to sell Ukraine to the Kremlin. There were reports with questionable sources that he allegedly received money from Russia. Everything is fictitious, says his staff.

But Poroshenko, who comes to Selensky on the stage, playing on Friday evening exactly this Russia card to put his challenger again in a bad light. Putin wants to get the Ukraine, warns Poroshenko. The country needs a strong head of state who protects it - he means himself and thus stamps Selensky at the same time as weak. Where was his challenger when in 2014 the war in Donbass started with the Moscow-backed fighters. Why he escaped mobilization. "They lie," says Selensky. He had occurred in the East in the deployment zone in the soldiers had not been once in Russia after the outbreak of fighting. "Why is not the war over yet? You're the commander-in-chief," he counters.

The angry fight of the incumbent

Poroshenko's staff has made sure that the incumbent in the stadium has the upper hand, because he simply has more supporters on site, the Selensky always drowned with shouts. But with the reality outside the arena has little to do. In the polls Poroshenko is far behind with 37 percent back, Selensky leads home-high with 73 percent.

Poroshenko, who is combative and a good speaker, seems to be fighting for his legacy. For a long time he has not realized that he has lost support in the country, now he wrestles furiously for every percentage point that could at least reduce the distance to his opponent.

New against old

The president has had a lot to do with this election campaign, not always worthy of the post of head of state. He had blood taken twice in front of cameras to check for alcohol and drugs, and had been in the stadium last Sunday after Selensky refused to come.

He has managed to dictate Poroshenko's election campaign. At the same time, Selensky managed it only on the internet in the social media - with the message that he would lead Ukraine into a good future without corruption and economic growth. Otherwise, he has rarified, given hardly any interviews, no concrete program presented, further made his jokes in his comedy shows on Poroshenko and the political system of the country.

Selensky: "I am the result of your mistakes"

Thus, Poroshenko fought against an opponent, young, without political experience, who makes hope for change, which he never got right, even because the desire for change in Ukraine seems so great. Poroshenko can not fulfill this, but the 54-year-old is considered old, because he has been part of the power elite for so long.

photo gallery

11 pictures

Selensky sums it up with the words, "I am the result of your mistakes." Above all Poroshenko's lack of will to fight corruption in the country means that he only agreed to cast the anti-corruption tribunal after the first election round. "I'm not a politician," said the 41-year-old. "I'm just a normal person who came to overthrow this system."

The question is, where with all the emotions after April 21? The injuries will remain after the runoff election, how will the loser deal with it? Presumably, this will be Poroshenko. He does not want to believe it all right. He feels in the stadium as the winner of the debate: "We will win," shouts the incumbent. His supporters applaud - on Sunday, the applause should be much quieter.