| Ukraine Looks to the Young for Leadership | | Print | |
| Written by James Wilson |
| Sunday, 27 September 2009 00:00 |
 Ukraine is set for a sea change in its political leadership.
With Presidential elections due on January 17 next year, positioning in advance of the electoral campaign is already well under way, with poster campaigns by all the major presidential candidates. At the regional level in Odessa, preparations are also under way for the election of a new city mayor in March of next year. One of the youngest candidates is 28 year old Alex Goncharenko who was campaigning yesterday (August 27) to rebuild Odessa’s international image. “Odessa used to be the main international centre for Russia’s links with Western Europe,” said Goncharenko. “We want to rebuild that image. The city has historically enjoyed very strong links with Britain, and even one of our governors in the 19th century was an Englishman, who served in the Russian Army as a colonel. Football was first introduced to Odessa by the British, and from this has grown the success of football in Russia, Ukraine and other CIS countries – with famous teams like Shaktar Donetsk, Zenith Saint Petersburg and others.” Goncharenko was launching a campaign to raise funds for the restoration of the English Club in the heart of Odessa, between the Opera House and the City Duma, which used to house the Museum of Maritime History, but which was ravaged by fire in 2005. “We have applied to UNESCO to list the centre of Odessa as a world heritage site,” said Goncahrenko, who is one of the youngest Councillors in Odessa Council. “The English Club was set up by British merchants in 1848 to replicate a typical London club in the heart of the city. It is a symbol of the international heritage of Odessa, and also an important reminder of our strong international ties. I want Odessa to play an important role in the links between the EU and Ukraine,” he went on to say. As he walked through the streets of Odessa, with visiting MP John Grogan, Goncharenko was greeted with calls from supporters “Keep up the good work” – “Thank you for your efforts”. Curious as to whether this spontaneous praise had been staged for our benefit, I asked Odessa business leaders later that evening what they thought would happen in the elections. “Young people are disillusioned by the political classes, and we think they will vote in line with the opinion polls,” they said. “But older people definitely want to give the next generation a chance now, and they are going to vote for young candidates. Young people are the ones who have energy and vision, and it is their turn now to change things for the better.” Odessa is an international city brimming with confidence, and as the wheels of democracy move towards changes at national and regional level, we may just see a whole new burst of energy from a new generation of politicians. James Wilson is the Director of EU Ukraine Business Council and the EU Ukraine Rule of Law Foundation |
