Ukraine: 'Darth Vader' presidency bid rejected

[cronus]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-fr ... e-26882664

Ukraine: 'Darth Vader' presidency bid rejected

Ukrainian authorities have rejected a bid from a man calling himself Darth Vader, who wants to run in the presidential elections.

The man, who appears in the costume of the fictional character from the Star Wars films and is often accompanied by people dressed in other Star Wars outfits, was nominated for the presidency by the Internet Party of Ukraine. Earlier he told the party's congress that he wanted to turn Ukraine into "a galactic empire".

But the country's Central Electoral Commission says parts of Darth Vader's application were "questionable" and some paperwork was probably forged. Apparently, the man is really an electrician called Viktor Shevchenko, who changed his name to Darth Vader in March.

But at least one commission member suggests Darth Vader's campaign could be an attempt to discredit the upcoming election - possibly by Russia, which does not recognise the Ukraine's interim government. "It may seem like an innocent joke, but someone paid 2.5m hryvnyas ($227,000) for this joke," says Ihor Zhydenko, referring to the deposit that must be given along with the application.

Zhydenko adds that Darth Vader might run for the presidency in Russia, where he has received extensive media coverage. "They already have little green men," he says, referring to Russian troops in the Crimea region. "Such a commander-in-chief would be appropriate."

(continued)

[Svartalf]

Shame, "Dark Vador loses election in Ukraine" would have been great press title...

[JimC]

Clearly, the Force with him was not...

[mistermack]

But at least one commission member suggests Darth Vader's campaign could be an attempt to discredit the upcoming election - possibly by Russia, which does not recognise the Ukraine's interim government. "It may seem like an innocent joke, but someone paid 2.5m hryvnyas ($227,000) for this joke," says Ihor Zhydenko, referring to the deposit that must be given along with the application.

They don't say what happens, if your application is rejected.
I would presume that you get the deposit back. So if that's the case, he's got all of the publicity free. It sounds like he's come out of it well ahead.

[cronus]

Not a lot of money by global 1% standards. If you have more money than you need, then it's usually a lot more and you can afford to burn some in a trivial way.

[JimC]

But at least one commission member suggests Darth Vader's campaign could be an attempt to discredit the upcoming election - possibly by Russia, which does not recognise the Ukraine's interim government. "It may seem like an innocent joke, but someone paid 2.5m hryvnyas ($227,000) for this joke," says Ihor Zhydenko, referring to the deposit that must be given along with the application.

They don't say what happens, if your application is rejected.
I would presume that you get the deposit back. So if that's the case, he's got all of the publicity free. It sounds like he's come out of it well ahead.

Typically, in these situations, you don't get your money back. It's designed to deter trivial applications...

[Tyrannical]

"It may seem like an innocent joke, but someone paid 2.5m hryvnyas ($227,000) for this joke,"

Hi, My name is Darth Vader and I am trying to run for President of Ukraine. Please donate to my kick start project to raise the election fees. Probably a nice list of backer prizes too, wonder what a cabinet position would have cost