Vitali Klitschko, leader of the Ukrainian opposition Udar
(Punch) party
The Ukrainian WBC heavyweight boxing champion,
Vitali Klitschko, has confirmed he will run in the
country's 2015 presidential election.
He made his announcement in response to a bill passed in
parliament that bars candidates who have lived outside
Ukraine during the past 10 years.
The pro-Western Udar party MP has permanent resident
status in Germany.
"Everything that has taken place in parliament today...
does not intimidate me and will not stop me," he said.
"To head off these various schemes and attempts at
getting even with me as a possible candidate, I want to
declare this: I will run for president."
Mr Klitschko is the first declared contender against the
incumbent, Viktor Yanukovych. He has actively
campaigned against what he calls the president's
"authoritarian policies".
The bill adopted on Wednesday amended Ukraine's current
tax code. It now states that if a Ukrainian national holds
permanent resident status in another country they cannot
be considered a resident of Ukraine. Previously, they only
had to live in Ukraine for at least 180 days a year.
According to the constitution, a presidential candidate
must have been resident in Ukraine for 10 years prior to
polling day.
Mr Klitschko said the amendment clearly had a "political
context", something denied by a member of Mr
Yanukovych's Party of Regions.
'European standards'
The 42-year-old boxer heads the Ukrainian Democratic
Alliance for Reforms (Udar), whose acronym means
"Punch". It came third in last year's parliamentary
elections.
"My main goal is for Ukraine to be a European, modern
country with European standards of life," Mr Klitschko told
the BBC in August.
"I will decide with people who have the same vision, the
same dream, to go into politics and from the inside to
change the situation."
He has spoken out against corruption in the country and
the jailing of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko for
abuse of office - a charge that her supporters claim was
politically motivated.
"We can't be a democratic country with political
prisoners," he said.
Mr Klitschko is also pushing to strengthen Ukraine's links
with the EU. "We see our future in the European family.
We are European with our mentality, with our history," he
said.
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24660670

I laff in derision.....

Sebi him na star so him fit continue....

Lets wait till 2015 maybe we will see DBanj during the presidential rally.

ledafaze: I laff in derision.....

Sebi him na star so him fit continue....

Lets wait till 2015 maybe we will see DBanj during the presidential rally.

...lol anybody can run for d post b dat nah..