Klitschko holds firm lead in Kyiv mayoral race

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko holds a firm lead in the
polls for the local elections scheduled for Oct. 25, the Rating Sociological
Group reported on Apr. 13. About 38.7% of decided voters said they will cast
their ballot for Klitschko, compared to 9.1% for comedian Serhiy Prytula and
8.8% for Oleksandr Tkachenko, the People’s Servant MP who served as former
general director of the 1+1 Media group of companies. The poll was conducted
between Apr. 4-7 involving 2,000 respondents.

Zenon Zawada: Klitschko
survived the attempt last year to remove him as mayor, and has since been
vigilant in maintaining his public support. Besides completing a few
infrastructure projects, he has taken a visible leadership in combatting the
spread of the coronavirus, conducting daily briefings and urging the public to
observe the severe quarantine. So all signs point to him being re-elected in
October.

It’s not clear if Gennadiy Kernes will compete for
a third term as Kharkiv mayor, though he has strong support there. As for
Ukraine’s third-largest city, Odesa, the highly criticized Gennadiy Trukhanov
will face much opposition.