Boxers, pop stars, judges and wanted men -- an eclectic cast of candidates is aiming to get into Ukraine's parliament in Sunday's election. Leading the way of the un-political candidates for the nation's top legislative body is Vitaly Klitschko, the former WBC heavyweight champion who retired in November after giving up his fight against injury.
The 34-year old is the leader of the Pora-PRP bloc that surveys say is teetering on the edge of garnering enough votes to get into the chamber, and is also battling to get the post of Kiev mayor.
"I love my city very much and want to improve life in it," Klitschko said in announcing his bid.
The last surveys released two weeks before the ballot showed that the political novice could deal a surprise knockout to Kiev's veteran mayor Olexander Omelchenko, with some five percentage points separating the two lead contenders.
Also in the parliamentary race is Ruslana Lyzhichko, the winner of the 2004 Eurovision song contest, who is among the top five on the party list of President Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine bloc.
"I wanted to give Yushchenko my shoulder for support," the 32-year-old, who actively supported the Ukrainian president during the "orange revolution," said recently.
The judicial branch is also well-represented in the election race -- one bloc has the head of the nation's supreme court on its party list, while another features the head of the country's top economic court.
"It's important for these people to remain among the elite, not to turn into ordinary pensioners," said Volodymyr Fesenko, a political analyst in Kiev.
For their parties, the men are an important future resource.
"It's not a secret that in Ukraine, unfortunately, many conflicting situations in the courts are decided either through corruption or through personal ties," Fesenko said. "The presence of these people, who know the judiciary inside out and who have enormous personal ties... is very advantageous for these political forces."
Journalists are also taking an active part in the election -- television reporters are in the top five in the party lists of two leading contenders in the parliamentary vote.
"After the 'orange revolution' the meaning of freedom of speech and attention to journalists has increased dramatically," Fesenko said. "And such an upsurge siphons off journalists into politics."
For political parties that have taken them in, "it is an opportunity to strengthen its ideological image as a defender of the freedom of speech."
There is another group of candidates to Ukraine's parliament -- wanted men. According to the interior ministry, 11 names of people wanted by the police have been included on lists of the leading contenders of Sunday's poll.
The reason? Ukrainian deputies have immunity from prosecution and if they get into parliament will be able to come out of hiding without fear of arrest.
