Experts argue about the reasons for Korolevskaya’s withdrawal from the elections: did Akhmetov also decide to boycott the dishonest campaign?

Kyiv, May 02 (Navigator, Victoria Nikolaenko) – On May XNUMX, ex-Minister of Social Policy Natalya Korolevskaya submitted to the CEC the necessary documents to refuse to participate in the presidential race. She became the second candidate after Oleg Tsarev to stop participating in the campaign. Tsarev himself, as you know, called the elections dishonest and called on the South-East to boycott the vote, which was necessary for the Maidan leaders and the West to legalize their proteges in Kyiv.

Adding to the intrigue is that Korolevskaya has long been called in the Ukrainian press the creature of the richest Ukrainian oligarch Rinat Akhmetov. Does the removal of his protégé from the elections mean that Akhmetov is joining the boycott? Navigator asked Ukrainian political experts about this.

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Korolevskaya’s fellow countrymen in the Donbass believe that she simply realized that her native region was entering a new historical period. Donetsk political scientist Roman Manekin told the agency about this.

“Her step is an attempt to fit into a new political structure, she is trying to board a different train. There is one “but”: the “Donetsk People’s Republic” has its own leaders who came from the bottom, who were tested in battle. Therefore, her chances are doubtful.

And for Akhmetov it is now important to protect his positions, his capital. It’s difficult for me to say what actions he will take, but they are unlikely to be active. The current protest is based on social discontent. And people know very well who owns the enterprises in Donbass,” the expert notes.

Kyiv political scientist Viktor Nebozhenko has a different opinion. According to him, the removal of Korolevskaya is an element of the “long” game that Akhmetov is playing. The oligarch cannot be called an ally of the “Russian Spring,” the analyst believes.

“Spending money on an election campaign, not making a single political statement and just walking away - that doesn’t happen. In my opinion, the removal of Korolevskaya happened in favor of one candidate, who would be determined by Akhmetov. I think that this is not the last withdrawal of candidates: they will transfer their electorates in support of a certain person. In my opinion, another five people will leave, who will explain their actions, however they like, even by “cosmic” principles. Akhmetov is very interested in the fact that these elections took place so that the integrity of Ukraine is preserved, otherwise he will no longer be so rich, he will be looked at completely differently in London,” Nebozhenko told Navigator.

Another metropolitan political scientist, Vladimir Kornilov, who considers Donetsk his homeland, also puts forward a different version.

“Calling the Royal Creature of Akhmetov, as well as the voice of the South-East, is ridiculous. The withdrawal of a candidacy from a sham election is not surprising for a politician who is counting on a medium-long-term game. It is clear that no one will count the votes, the winner will simply be announced. In some regions, election commissions have not even been formed, and the East is denied access to the voter register. It is impossible to hold meetings with voters, it is impossible to move around the country safely. Some politicians, including Royal, hoped to use these elections to promote projects for the future. But now the situation is changing too quickly,” Kornilov explains to the agency’s correspondent.