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e le c tio n w o r k there w as. S in c e the m a in m is s io n o f a lo n g -te rm e le c tio n o b se rve r w a s to get a c le a r p ic tu re o f the c o m p lic a te d a n d e x te n s iv e p re -e le c tio n c a m p a ig n , o u r d a y s w e re a b lu r o f m e e tin g s and reports. T r e v o r an d I w a n te d to c o v e r as m u c h g ro u n d as p o s s ib le b y t a lk in g to a ll the p la y e rs in v o lv e d . W e m e t w it h d is tr ic t e le c tio n o f f ic ia ls , w it h ca n d id a te s w h o w e re r u n n in g fo r d e p u tie s to the V e r k h o v n a R a d a , w it h the m e d ia , w it h d o m e s tic n o n -g o v e rn m e n ta l o rg a n iz a tio n s, w it h re p re se n ta tive s o f the v a rio u s parties, an d m ore. B u t ju s t w a lk in g a ro u n d the c it y w a s an e d u c a tio n in h o w U k r a in e w a s e v o lv in g in to a y o u n g d e m o c ra c y . K y i v w a s te e m in g w it h p r e - e le c t io n a c t iv it y . T h e re w e re p a rty p o s te rs e v e ry w h e re , le a fle ts s u p p o r t in g o n e c a n d id a te o r a n o th e r p la s te re d o n b u ild in g w a lls a n d sto re fro n ts. E v e n c h u rc h e s w e re fe s to o n e d w it h p o l it i c a l lite ra tu re , a d e f in ite n o -n o a c c o r d in g to the n e w e le c tio n le g is la tio n . W h a t c a u g h t m y e y e im m e d ia t e ly u p o n a r r iv a l in the c it y w e re a se rie s o f e x p e r t ly d o n e po sters. T h e y fe a tu re d p ic tu re s o f L e s i a U k r a in k a , M y k h a y lo H r u s h e v s k y a n d T a ra s S h e v c h e n k o a n d q u o tes f r o m t h e ir w r it in g , a ll v a r ia t io n s o n the th e m e o f “ u n it y ” . A p p a r e n t ly , th is w a s a n a tte m p t b y the “ Y e d n is t ” ( U n it y ) p a r ty o f the m a y o r o f K y i v , O m e lc h e n k o , to a p p e a l to h is v o t e r s ’ se nse o f p a tr io tis m . It se e m e d in te re s tin g that the m a y o r o f a c it y , w h ic h o n ly a d e ca d e a go w a s the c a p it a l o f the U k r a in ia n S o v ie t S o c ia lis t R e p u b lic , w a s in v o k in g H r u s h e v s k y 's im a g e a n d n a m e - b o th v ir t u a ll y u n k n o w n to m o s t U k r a in ia n s te n y e a rs e a r lie r - as a w a y o f g e ttin g p e o p le to v o te f o r h im . I w o n d e re d w h a t H r u s h e v s k y w o u ld sa y a b o u t th is a n d w h e th e r L e s y a U k r a in k a w a s t u r n in g in h e r g ra v e o r a p p la u d in g th e p o s te rs as e v id e n c e o f p ro g re s s. I w o n d e re d w h e th e r F r a n k o w o u ld t h in k tha t t h is is a le g itim a t e w a y to ge t o u t the v o te . M a y b e y e s, m a y b e no . W h e n T r e v o r a n d I a s k e d the c h i e f o f s t a f f o f the Y e d n is t p a r t y w h a t a ll th o se p o s te rs w e re a b o u t he sa id , “ W e ll, t h e y w e re d e m o c ra ts. W e w a n t to see U k r a in e the w a y U k r a in k a a n d S h e v c h e n k o a n d H r u s h e v s k y s a w it." F a i r en o u g h . T h e c o u n t r y h a d e x p lo d e d w it h p o l it i c a l p a rtie s . T h e r e w e re t h irty -th re e o f th em , c o v e r in g the b r o a d s p e c tru m o f p o l it i c a l th o u g h t. S o m e h a d c le a r ly d e f in e d p a r t y p la t fo r m s a n d s p e c if ic id e o lo g ie s . O th e r s se e m e d to b e r u n n in g o n the stre n g th o f a rts y b la c k a n d w h ite p o s te rs ( lik e the W in t e r W h e a t G e n e r a t io n P a r ty , “ O z y m e p o k o lin n ia ” ) o r s n a z z y m in iv a n s w it h d is t in c t iv e lo g o s ( lik e the W o m e n f o r a F u tu r e ) o r s h o c k v a lu e ( T h e P a r t y A g a in s t E v e r y o n e , “ P r o t y v s i k h ” ). A f t e r w e e k s o f n a v ig a t in g the c it y streets w it h its m a s s iv e t r a f f ic sn a rls, u n p r e d ic ta b le d r iv e r s , p o th o le s , s in k h o le s , c o n s t r u c tio n ru b b le , and a c u ltu r e in w h ic h the c a r is k in g , I d e c id e d t h a t p e rh a p s I s h o u ld start a t h ir ty - f o u r th p a rty . I w o u ld c a ll it the P e d e s tr ia n s ’ R ig h t s P a r ty . In U k r a in ia n it w o u ld s o u n d e v e n b e tte r “ P a r t iy a p o s h a n u v a n n y a p ra v p is h o k h o d iv ” a n d it w o u ld h a v e a c a tc h y a c ro n y m , “ P P P P ” . I n e v e r c a rr ie d t h ro u g h o n m y id e a , b u t I am c o n v in c e d tha t i f I had , I m ig h t h a v e e v e n go tte n a fe w vo tes. A s e le c tio n o b s e rv e rs , a s ig n if ic a n t p a rt o f o u r e ffo rts w a s d ir e c te d at d o c u m e n t in g p o s s ib le v io la t io n s o f the e le c tio n le g is la tio n , b e th e y v io la t io n s that w e o u r s e lv e s w itn e s s e d , o r v io la t io n s tha t in te reste d p a rtie s b r o u g h t to o u r a tte n tio n . T h u s it w a s that T r e v o r a n d I b e c a m e the f o c a l p o in t f o r n u m e ro u s c o m p la in ts (d o c u m e n te d a n d u n d o c u m e n te d ) fr o m v a r io u s so u rc e s in the c it y o f K y i v . O u r o f f ic e in a n o n d e s c r ip t b u ild in g n e a r th e S p o rts P a la c e s a w a c o n sta n t strea m o f v is it o r s - c a n d id a te s f o r d e p u tie s a n d p a r ty re p re s e n ta tiv e s - w h o c a m e a rm e d w it h sta c k s o f d o c u m e n ts to b o ls t e r t h e ir c la im s o f v io la t io n s , o r v id e o ta p e s s h o w in g v io la t io n s in a c tio n . F o r so m e p e o p le , h o w e v e r, w e s im p ly re p re se n te d an a u d ie n c e f o r p e rs o n a l g rie v a n c e s . T h e y w a n te d to v e n t, to t e ll t h e ir sto rie s to so m e o n e w h o w a s o b lig a te d to lis te n . I h a p p e n e d to b e a r the b ru n t o f t h is s im p ly b e ca u se T r e v o r w a s a te c h n o p h o b e . A t the b e g in n in g o f the m o n th ea c h te a m w a s g iv e n a c e ll p h o n e . T r e v o r th o u g h it a n u is a n c e that he c o u ld do w ith o u t, so I v e r y h a p p ily v o lu n te e re d to be the k e e p e r o f the c e ll p h o n e . A s the t r a d it io n a l U k r a in ia n p h o n e s y s te m is n o t o r io u s ly u n r e lia b le , h a v in g a c e ll p h o n e in m y p o c k e t g a v e m e a sense o f c o n n e c t io n w it h the w o r ld . L it t l e d id I k n o w h o w m u c h I w o u ld g r o w to re g re t a g re e in g to c a r r y the p h o n e . D e s p it e the fa c t that Mykhailo Hrushevsky "selling" the Yednist Party
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