KIEV, April 20, 2019 (BSS/TASS)- Ukrainian presidential candidates Pyotr
Poroshenko and Vladimir Zelensky have finished the debates at the Olympic
Stadium.
In his final word, Poroshenko stated that he would accept the results of
the April 21 election. “On April 22, life goes on, and on April 22, we must
unite to protect the country together. The most important thing is not to
lose it [the country],” he said.
Poroshenko stressed the need to recover control over Crimea and Donbass
and to avoid oligarchs coming into power.
For his part, Zelensky has listed his campaign promises: that all citizens
must be equal before the law, and that the immunity of judges and members of
parliament must be lifted. He also promised to introduce a law on the
president’s impeachment, to raise the salaries of public sector workers and
to improve the country’s infrastructure. “As for the roads, I have nothing to
say because there aren’t any,” Zelensky quipped at the end of his speech.
Later, both candidates have gone down on their knees during the debates at
the Olympic Stadium in Kiev, honoring those who lost their loved ones during
the war in Donbass.
During the discussion, the incumbent president accused Zelensky of being
ready to “crawl to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin on his knees” to save
the country. “We should not be crawling to Putin on our knees to save the
country, we have to build our army, build our state and the basics of
statehood, protect our language and protect Ukraine and our nation,”
Poroshenko said.
In response to Poroshenko’s claim, Zelensky explained that his quote was
taken out of context. “Before the war, during the Maidan protests, when
people were dying, I addressed the people and [former Ukrainian President
Viktor] Yanukovich, saying: “Please leave the president’s post.” I addressed
Putin and said: I am ready to kneel before you, just don’t put Ukraine on her
knees.”
“And now, I am ready to kneel before every mother whose son had not come
home from war,” he stressed, going down on his knees before the stadium’s
audience and calling Poroshenko to follow suit. Poroshenko has gone down on
one knee turning his back to the public and facing the Ukrainian flag.
“You see, it’s not hard to be human,” Zelensky said.
The ceremony ended with both candidates singing the Ukrainian national
anthem along with the spectators.
Around 22,000 people attended the presidential debates held at the Olympic
Stadium in Kiev on Friday evening.
The runoff of Ukraine’s presidential elections is scheduled for April 21
and will feature head of the Servant of the People party Vladimir Zelensky
going up against incumbent President Pyotr Poroshenko. The first round took
place on March 31 and saw Zelensky receiving 30.24 percent of the votes,
almost twice as much as Poroshenko, who got 15.9 percent.