Comments Thread For: Photos: Vitali Klitschko Stays Cool as Election Plays Out

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko has an unrivalled record of knocking out opponents in the ring but today he faces the biggest challenge of his life as he leads his party in tightly contested parliamentary elections.

Klitschko’s aptly-named UDAR (Punch) party is hoping the elections will make it a nationwide political force for the first time and even the main challenger to the ruling Regions Party of President Viktor Yanukovych
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[Dolor]

WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko has an unrivalled record of knocking out opponents in the ring but today he faces the biggest challenge of his life as he leads his party in tightly contested parliamentary elections.

Klitschko’s aptly-named UDAR (Punch) party is hoping the elections will make it a nationwide political force for the first time and even the main challenger to the ruling Regions Party of President Viktor Yanukovych
[Click Here To Read More]

first results suggest he has got ~15%. so there's still the chance that he will be in a future coalition government - it all depends on whether the nationalists team up with the opposition or not. difficult to say right now, though.

in my opinion, he will retire from boxing. government or not - his party is now in parliament (way above the 5% limit) so he has an obligation.

[blank_frackis]

first results suggest he has got ~15%. so there's still the chance that he will be in a future coalition government - it all depends on whether the nationalists team up with the opposition or not. difficult to say right now, though.

in my opinion, he will retire from boxing. government or not - his party is now in parliament (way above the 5% limit) so he has an obligation.

Agree, I just can't see how he can continue with boxing in his position.

Even if there was time to set aside to do it, that would surely damage his credibility. The biggest weapon people can use against him politically is that he doesn't have any experience/is just a boxer, so going off to fight in the middle of parliament is the worst thing he could do. Today was the end of Vitali Klitschko's boxing career in my opinion.

[Chris T Byrd]

Polonium 210 = goodbye

[UglyPug]

Vitali's wife just oozes class. . . What a classy broad. .

[macman]

Well, UDAR looks like being 3rd or 4th based on either exit polls or early counts, so it seems Vitali will still have some time on his hands.

My guess is that having a new celebrity face looked good up until it came time to vote, & then people started worrying about what he actually knows about running a country...
While Yanukovych isn't exactly a prize, there is still fresh memories of the Orange fiasco & what it did to the country for most Ukranians.
(on a side note, extremists however have made a solid gain [7.5%] as in most places in Europe - read a little about Svoboda & they are not a nice bunch, with a lot of fascist links)

The elections so far:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20113616
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...89S06Q20121029

[yoz]

Well, UDAR looks like being 3rd or 4th based on either exit polls or early counts, so it seems Vitali will still have some time on his hands.

My guess is that having a new celebrity face looked good up until it came time to vote, & then people started worrying about what he actually knows about running a country...
While Yanukovych isn't exactly a prize, there is still fresh memories of the Orange fiasco & what it did to the country for most Ukranians.
(on a side note, extremists however have made a solid gain [7.5%] as in most places in Europe - read a little about Svoboda & they are not a nice bunch, with a lot of fascist links)

The elections so far:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20113616
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...89S06Q20121029

Surprised the result hasn't be rigged - what with the ruling party in bed with Russia (Putin).

[BattlingNelson]

Wouldn't it be cool if the heavyweight champ became PM one day?

By the looks of things Vitali should now retire and go into politics full-time. He can make a difference.

[ddangerous]

War Vitali!