Arestovych aims to grab remnants of pro-Russian electorate — former Ukrainian official
The political campaign of former presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych is clearly aimed at garnering the support of the remaining pro-Russian Ukrainian electorate, Ukraine’s former Deputy PM Oleh Rybachuk said in an interview with NV Radio on Nov. 3.
Read also: Zelenskyy’s former advisor Arestovych to stand in future elections
“There is desire and a political strategy: a certain percentage of Ukrainians (I believe it's around 20%) might not openly speak about it, but these are people who always vote either for the authorities or have voted for any pro-Russian candidate in the past,” said Rybachuk.
“These are the remnants and leftovers of the [banned pro-Russian party] Opposition Platform—For Life. And Arestovych has always courted this audience…, he is definitely carving out a specific [electoral] niche for himself.”
The former official added that he isn’t sure if Arestovych is serious about running for president, but in his opinion, the former adviser to the President's Office “wants to occupy this niche that has always existed in Ukraine—such post-Soviet people without critical thinking.”
Read also: Embattled presidential adviser Arestovych resigns
Rybachuk emphasized that he does not believe "that Ukrainians will ever choose such a person as their president."
Read also: Ex-presidential advisor Arestovych put on Russian list of “terrorists”
On Nov. 1, Arestovych declared his intention to run in the next presidential elections.
Read also: Could Arestovych simply be a technical candidate for Zelenskyy in future election?
His so-called "program" was predictably built on populism, centered around criticism of the current government, and promises that are practically unfulfillable or completely contradictory to each other.
Back in August 2022, Arestovych asserted that he would only run for president in the next elections if the current head of state, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, decided not to put forward his candidacy.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
