[UPD]Verka Serdyuchka runs for Parliament

Ukrainians ready for elections, polls say

More than 75 percent of Ukraine’s voters are ready to take part in early parliamentary elections, scheduled for Sept. 30, according to the most recent public opinion polls.

Voter turnout is important for these elections, because for the first time since independence, a minimum voter turnout of 51 percent has been established. Coalition and opposition politicians alike have pointed to the minimum voter turnout as one of the ways the elections can be undermined.

On July 8, the man behind pop icon Verka Serdyuchka announced that he would run for parliament. Andriy Danylko, who placed second in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, announced plans to organize the “Against All” electoral bloc. “Against all” is the very last option on voting ballots, as Ukrainian voters are given the choice to vote for “none of the above.” In the 2006 elections, nearly 1.8 percent voted “against all.”

source:Kyiv Post

[UPD] Delfi.lt reports that Verka Serduchka was not allowed to perform in the recent celebrations in Sochi for the appointment of the Russian city as host for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Mr A. Razin, Verka's manager and the organizer of the concert, told delfi.lt that the owner of the venue where the concert was held refused to have Verka perform on his property.

After Verka's participation in the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest and her controversial Russia Good Bye/Lasha Tumbai chorus line, it is reported that Verka is no longer welcome in many Russian venues,

Russian radio stations have stopped playing her songs and TV shows do not accept her video clips any more.

source:esctoday.com

Guardian Angel for the Next Parliament?