CVU: Registration of clones a sign of weak candidates

According to Oleksandr Chernenko, Head of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine [CVU], “the process of registration of candidates in single-mandate electoral districts has already begun showing all the failings of majority system elections”

He notes that in many electoral districts one is seeing registration of so-called doubles or clones – technical candidates with the same or similar names to those of well-known politicians or public figures who have already announced their intention to run in certain electoral districts.

“CVU is presently carrying out a more detailed analysis of this phenomenon however we are already able to give specific examples.

In Ivano-Frankivsk two candidates are registered with the name Oleksandr Sych

in electoral district No. 44; (Donetsk region) two Roman Lyhins;

in the Kyiv oblast two Mykhailo Poplavskys.

He mentions also two Poroshenkos.

Mr Chenkenko points out that in fact during previous elections the use of doubles proved very ineffective. He says that he does not recall a single occasion where this influenced the result of the elections.

He adds that when a candidate from the outset  resorts to such grubby tactics they clearly have nothing to offer voters.

From a slightly longer report here