Prytula won't be the new Zelenskyy. Why is he creating his party?
Rubryka analyzed the main issues that arose after Serhii Prytula's statement about him creating his political force.
Rubryka
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has almost served half of his presidential term and has already begun preparing for the second term. It's still barely noticeable, but the Verkhovna Rada is also feeling the elections of its jubilee, tenth composition approaching. "New faces" are no longer new and the fall in their ratings clearly shows this.
However, the impression of the victory of these new faces, "made" by the old faces, is still so fresh that even newer ones want to try to use this technique again. Or rather, those who want to be talked about just like that.
For example, ex-speaker of the Rada Dmytro Razumkov. Even before his resignation, he stated openly that he would create a new political force where he would run on his own. And with which will go to the polls.
Kyiv Mayor Klychko and Poroshenko-era Prime Minister Groisman have similar plans.
However, all of them have so far modestly voiced their intentions and don't say anything specific at all.
Unlike Serhii Prytula.
Sometime after the usual leaving of the most recognizable member of the still-born "Voice" party, Prytula announced the creation of his party. Frankly, he didn't make a fuss about it. However, he finally testified that he was going into politics consciously and for a more or less long time. What immediately caused a comparison of himself with Zelenskyy, and not with Vakarchuk, who was asked all over the world to run if not for president, then at least for a people's deputy. And who then independently, for the second time in a row, resigned as a deputy.
And Prytula, like Zelenskyy, is a comedian. And you can't run away from this image.
However, Prytula hasn't yet made further statements about the establishment of the party. He didn't name names, landmarks, or tasks. True, he promised to do it in the future, but when it would come, he didn't say either.
It's not a pebble in his garden. It is obvious that Prytula aimed at the parliamentary elections. So, he still has time to prepare. So it's not surprising that he doesn't want to reveal all the cards here and now: you can have a false start.
Nevertheless, Prytula has some political perspective: about 3% of the personal rating is a decent platform to start. And this, together with the all-Ukrainian recognizability, forces us to look closely at him as a politician who acquires his party and to think about what will come of it.
Photo: goloszmin.org
With what does Prytula enter big politics?
Of course, the Zelenskyy-Prytula parallel is self-evident. However, unfortunately for the latter, he cannot repeat the feat of the main "servant of the people."
And not because the popularity of Zelenskyy-artist was higher than Prytula-artist. But Ukrainians first got to know about Zelenskyy-politician, by his stage alter ego, who shot the Verkhovna Rada in his dreams and scolded the authorities. And they liked it. The fact is: a person without political experience was believed.
But a person with political experience will no longer be trusted. Because they've already seen him and realized that Prytula was not a new messiah.
Let's recall. Initially, Prytula signed up for the Voice party's electoral list, but deliberately put himself in an impassable position, thus motivating his supporters to actively vote for the party. He didn't enter the Rada but unequivocally gained "pluses to karma," establishing himself as a politician for whom the idea is more than ambitions.
Then he went to the mayoral election in Kyiv with an openly gray campaign, where he lost even to the forgotten Party of Regions member, Popov. Of course, no one expected him to win over Klychko, but losing to a man whom almost the entire city opposed against at one time, to put it mildly, was not very honorable. So here's a minus.
Well, the story with post-Vakarchuk's "Voice" is as sad as, in fact, the party itself.
Nevertheless, unlike the "Voice" party, Prytula has a political future. Although not cloudless. Of course, things may still change well before the parliamentary elections, but now he and his party are predicted the fate of "Samopomich," whose ideological "successor" is rightly called "Voice." And whose electorate will the new party focus on?
"Now we can talk about the untimely political death of the Voice, which split into several groups at war with each other. But the party lost its electorate. And here the bright Prytula can show himself," said Andrii Zolotariov, political expert, during a conversation with Rubryka.
The electoral base of the party, which Serhii Prytula intends to create, is the voters of the Voice party. These are those who were disappointed in the party after Sviatoslav Vakarchuk left it. We mean young citizens (18-40 years of age), who live in central and western regions of the country," the political expert of the Foundation for Democratic Initiatives Petro Burkovskyi is sure, whose words are quoted by Apostrophe.
In other words, at present, the political future of Prytula's party is seen as such that if it enters the Rada, it will do it with small forces. And it will not have much weight.
Photo: segodnya.ua
Taking away votes from Poroshenko
"Poroshenko is scratching. You're scratching late, Petro Poroshenko," Prytula said when he was with long hair.
And it seems that he intends to repeat this from the rostrum of the Verkhovna Rada after the election. After all, besides the electorate of the Voice party, he will target the voters of the European Solidarity party.
"Prytula will play on Poroshenko's electoral field. And it can become quite a serious problem for him. After all, when your rating exceeds 30% and 2-3 points are 'bitten off,' which Prytula can quite hope for, it will pass for you almost without a trace. However, if we subtract this 2 – 3% from the 15-18% that Poroshenko now has, it will significantly affect the final figures," Zolotariov explains.
But what can Prytula offer Poroshenko's voters? The answer is very simple. An even higher level of patriotism. And it's not so much about the image of Prytula, who has positioned himself as an ardent Ukrainian since comedy club times (though about it as well), as about his real actions, which prove a strong love for Ukraine.
Prytula is a well-known volunteer. He repeatedly handed over everything necessary to defend the country from Russian aggression to the Ukrainian military. And supporters of "Hetman" Poroshenko will not be able to remain indifferent to this.
"Petro Poroshenko positions himself as a 'chief patriot' who periodically goes to the front, handing out strawberries and valuable advice. From the point of view of 'porokho-bots,' Serhii Prytula, who buys ammunition, quadcopters, fuel, and medicine for the army, is a dangerous competitor," journalist Volodymyr Shevchuk is certain.
On the other hand, it shouldn't be ruled out that Poroshenko and Prytula, instead of finding out which of them loves Ukraine more, will unite and go to the polls together.
"It would be a good move for Poroshenko," Zolotariov said.
Photo: goloszmin.org
Who will pay for it?
One can stubbornly position oneself as a principled politician who can't be bought, but without financial support, which will ensure the maintenance of a wide network of agitator groups; without access to major TV channels to speak to the entire country, and not only to followers on social media, one can not become a serious politician.
Unfortunately, only oligarchs and those who try to consider themselves as such can provide this. So, no matter how much Prytula and his current supporters probably don't want to "rent themselves out" or at least just have to borrow money.
From whom?
Of course, the most logical thing is to borrow from Vitalii Khomutynnik, a former Party of Regions member, and also the owner of the "Liubimoie Radio" radio station, the "Brokbusiness" insurance company, and, indirectly, the Focus magazine. And he's also a relative of Prytula: everyone knows that his wife is the sister of Khomutynnik's wife.
However, Khomutynnik's entourage assures that he doesn't intend to give that money to Prytula at the moment because "at the moment he doesn't believe in his political future." Although it is suggested that later the former Party of Regions member "may invest" in the project.
Another possible sponsor is the son-in-law of the second president Kuchma and the author of the scandalous article "Ukraine must make painful compromises for peace with Russia," Viktor Pinchuk. Which is already Prytula's employer, because he owns the "Novyi Kanal" tv channel where Prytula works.
In addition, according to the Telegraf, another former Party of Regions member and businessman Andrii Verevskyi, as well as the general director of the investment company Dragon Capital, which owns the NV holding and the Ukrainian Pravda publication, Tomasz Fiala, don't mind investing in Prytula.
"The party is an initiative not only of Prytula. And in some time we will see the holder of this project," Zolotariov is convinced.
Photo: UP
Perspectives……
… Are very sad at the moment. After all, on the one hand, the Prytula party, as already mentioned, has every chance to follow the path trodden by "Samopomich" and the asphalted "Voice" party.
On the other hand, becoming a party that doesn't gain votes as much as it takes them from others. A tool for its sponsors.
"Even if Prytula doesn't get to the Rada, he can fulfill his other mission: taking away votes from others. Let's say, the same Poroshenko," Zolotarev predicts.
"Variaty" version of the party
A thick trail of political fuckups instead of at least a simple train of victories. Possible sponsors are very ambiguous. Even more ambiguous are the potential goals. There is no chance to get into the Rada. Unfortunately, Prytula's party looks like this now.
And there were times when he clearly set out the program of his political force. And he had more supporters then.
