Vakarchuk indicates he could run for president in 2019

Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, the intellectual rock star who
has studied in the West, released a video announcement on Dec. 10 in which he
indicated that he could run for president in 2019. “You know well that I never
announced my presidential ambitions. I don’t intend to do that today,” he said,
leaving the door open for such an announcement coming in the future. “Power in
itself doesn’t interest me. I never worked with any political consultant or
discussed any hypothetical political plans. I never ordered any research from
sociological companies on my presidential ratings or those of others. I view
the publication of such ratings with restraint.”

The Ukrainian government needs to establish the rule
of law and the state apparatus in order to strengthen democratic institutions
in the country, Vakarchuk said in the video, outlining 10 reform principles of
his potential campaign. They repeated many demands of Western institutions like
the IMF, including creating an independent Anti-Corruption Court, changing the
election law, appointing independent experts to the Central Election
Commission, and launching efficient privatization campaigns. Besides being the
lead singer for among Ukraine’s most popular rock bands, Vakarchuk has served
in parliament (before resigning in disgust) and participated in the Yale
University Greenberg World Fellows program.

Zenon Zawada: Western
officials dread the thought of having to deal with Ukrainian President
Poroshenko for another five years. They are eager to work with someone with a
modern Western mindset, instead of Poroshenko’s antiquated post-Soviet view of
the world, which is focused on using power to accumulate wealth while resisting
Western-backed reforms. So despite his modest claims, we believe this
announcement is Vakarchuk’s signal to the public, both to Ukrainians and the
Western establishment, that he is willing to take on the mantle of competing
for president if he gets enough support.

Though Western officials don’t endorse political
candidates publicly, evidence confirms that they work to support favored
candidates behind the scenes. And we believe a candidate like Vakarchuk would
have tacit Western backing, on a moral level at minimum, since there are no
other promising candidates on the horizon. Yulia Tymoshenko is a relic of the
post-Soviet oligarchy, while the 60-year-old Anatoliy Grytsenko won’t inspire
or motivate Ukraine’s youth like Vakarchuk can.

Poroshenko has already been intimidating his
political opponents ahead of the 2019 elections, having been accused of illegal
tactics, and Western officials are likely concerned that he will resort to
illegal measures to gain victory. The exciting and inspiring persona of
Vakarchuk could serve as a lightning rod for a maidan-like protest in 2019 in
the event the presidential elections are falsified. So we see high potential
for the intellectual rock star to become the next president, especially when polls indicate that he has a
fighting chance.