It looks like former heavyweight champ Vitali Klitschko’s bid to become mayor of Kiev, Ukraine has fallen short. Results from Sunday’s elections have been counted from approximately 800 of the city’s 1026 polling stations and incumbent Leonid Chernovetsky holds a commanding 20 percentage point lead over Oleksandr Turchynov – the candidate from Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s bloc – as well as Doktor Iron Fist Vitali Klitschko.

Last week we misstated that Klitschko was a member of the Tymoshenko bloc, the bYuT. He is instead the leader of his own bloc, Yellow PORA! or ПАРTIЯ ПОРА!, which while not specifically aligned with the bYuT also draws its roots from the Orange Revolution and is explicitly dedicated to stomping out corruption.

Chernovetsky seems to have been aided by the splitting of the anti-corruption vote. The ballot was a yard long (note the size in the accompanying picture) and included nearly 70 candidates. In addition the city’s low voter turnout, around 50%, indicates that not everyone agreed that the election was necessary. The Tymoshenko-led Parliament had called for the contest because of Chernovetsky’s alleged corruption charges. Perhaps the electorate was also turned off by the $100M spent by the collective candidates.

This Russia Today segment has a good video pre-election explanation of the confusing proceedings:

Klitschko will end up with a smaller percentage of votes this year than he did during his failed 2006 run as well as a much wider scale of defeat. Perhaps he will try again in 2010 when Chernovetsky’s original four-year term expires. In the meantime he will surely focus on his autumn 2008 return to the ring and his highly anticipated fight against Sam Peter.

Photo Source: Newscom.com

Post from: EveryJoe

Klitschko’s Second Mayoral Attempt TKOd

Not only is José Sulaimán the president/godfather of the World Boxing Council (at least according to his wikipedia page entry) he’s also a shrewd political pundit. Two days ago Sulaimán issued a five- paragraph release on the WBC web page endorsing Vitali Klitschko in Sunday’s Kiev, Ukraine mayoral race. No word yet on whether he prefers Barrack Obama or Hillary Clinton.

Why is Sulaimán supporting Klitschko? Is it because he’s in favor of the Orange Revolution reforms and the political stylings Ukraine’s “improbably attractive” prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko of whose Bloc, the BYuT, Klitschko is a member.

Is José hopping mad about incumbent mayor’s Leonid Chernovetskyi’s alleged illegal privatization of $3BN worth of Kiev property? Is he just sick of the corruption?

Not exactly. He wants Vitali to be “the first fighting mayor in the 300-year history of boxing.” That’s a claim we can’t believe is true. Of all the mayors in all the world there has to have been one who has been a boxer. Right?

We’re guessing the real reason Sulaimán wants Vitali to win is so that he can quite possibly have an audience with Ms. Tymoshenko who in addition to being one of the world’s most powerful women is also surely one of the most beautiful. She also must be the world’s only prime minister to offer a desktop wallpaper of themselves riding a motorcycle and spraying graffiti.

José’s press release expresses his desire to travel: “If Vitali is elected, the WBC would appoint a committee of the top officers of the WBC to go, along with myself, to attend his inauguration.” Will Sulaimán’s promise deter the Kiev voters from voting orange? Hard to say.

If my grandparents had stayed in eastern Europe I may indeed be living in Kiev waiting to vote on Sunday. In fact, I still have relatives in L’viv. Would I be voting for Vitali? Probably so and it’s not just because I love boxing. Klitschko has served well on the Kiev City Council, he’s very intelligent, charming, worldly, and successful in everything he’s done.

Need another reason to vote? In Ms. Tymoshenko’s congratulatory letter to Vitali’s brother Wladimir after the Sultan Ibragimov fight she said “I am certain that people like you, Wladimir, are currently doing more for Ukraine, for its recognition than all the politicians, deputies and officials together. I believe that Ukraine will be a great, powerful and fortunate country, because it has such great sons!” We wholeheartedly agree! This is one time José Sulaimán has it 100% right.

Photo Sources: Wikipedia, http://www.tymoshenko.com.ua, and Newscom.com

Post from: EveryJoe

José Sulaimán Endorses Vitali Klitschko for Mayor

Image details: Sports Gala – ‘Ball des Sports 2008′ served by picapp.com

The city is rife with political corruption. Business deals are all made under the table. Outside investors are scared. A hero is needed; someone to clean up the mess and make the city safe again. The city needs a fearless 6′7″ hero with fists of iron, a Ph.D. in philosophy, and good intentions.

Is our hero Batman? Is this Gotham City?

No. It’s former heavyweight champ Vitali Klitschko and the city is his hometown Kiev, the capital of the Ukraine and home to 3 million people. Vitali isn’t dressing up in a black costume and doing nighttime vigilante work he’s running for mayor.

This isn’t the first time the scholarly pugilist has thrown his hat in the political ring. He finished second in the 2006 Kiev mayoral race garnering 25% of the vote. This year, however, the New York Times reports that he leads the early polling.

Fight fans everywhere hope that his possible mayoral victory won’t spoil the currently-retired fighter’s comeback plans. Vitali would immediately be a heavyweight force despite his three-year layoff. But he adds “My biggest goal right now is to help create a modern, democratic Ukraine. To me, there is no fight more important than that.”

Post from: EveryJoe

Vitali Klitschko Runs For Mayor