In the upcoming May presidential elections in Ukraine, voters will be able to support the Dark Lord of the Sith.
After winning in a landslide to take the nomination of the Ukrainian Internet Party, Darth Vader’s name will be placed on the May 25 ballot along with as many as fourteen others. In accepting his party’s nomination, he demanded a parking space for his space ship and proclaimed, “I am prepared to take responsibility for the fate of this country, if fellow citizens do me this high honor. I alone can make an empire out of a republic, to restore former glory, to return lost territories and pride for this country.”
You can see his entire acceptance speech here.
But Vader’s nomination is anything but a joke. Ukraine’s politics are currently incredibly tenuous and divisive. And Vader has previously received 3% as a write-in candidate for Parliamentary elections. His party has a serious platform of universal internet access, radical transparency and openness through putting all government online, and attracting foreign investment by dropping most taxes to almost nothing.
This also isn’t the first time the Ukraine Internet Party has co-opted Star Wars cosplay for their own purposes. We originally reported on them giving out Mayan Apocalypse preparedness kits that included, of all things, condoms. The party was founded in 2010 by famed Ukrainian cyber-criminal Dmitry Golubov but was abolished by the Ukrainian courts in 2012 for not having a regional office.
In response to this, Vader and his stormtroopers attempted to deliver a copy of the party’s charter to the Minister of Justice.
Still not having their voices heard, Vader had himself carried into the city center of Odessa and declared himself Mayor.
Considering what is going on in Ukraine, maybe Vader is not such a bad idea. Perhaps the only way to counteract the cartoonish villainy of Vladimir Putin is with an even bigger villain.
Regardless, we can agree with Chancellor Palpatine: “We will watch your career with great interest.”
