Using politicians of past generation in own election campaign is not etiquette - Viktor Yushchenko

President Viktor Yushchenko

Using politicians of previous generation in own election campaign is unacceptable, President Viktor Yushchenko said this in an interview to the Associated Press, the presidential press-service reports.

"A lot of 'heroes' will be removed from the past, who will be called to work for the election campaign. I am absolutely convinced that one should not take those politicians from naphthalene, who have lived their historical life," V. Yushchenko said commenting on yesterday's statement made by Leonid Kravchuk.

He also added that "those politicians, who are using Leonid Makarovych as a mouthpiece, are doing a bad turn throwing old men under tanks".

The Head of State believes that it is necessary to realize that the year of 2009 is hard both economically and politically, as the election of a Ukrainian President is a significant moment in the nation's choice. "A politician, who takes care of this country, but not of the presidential elections, must be strong, professional, non-populistic and do right things. It is difficult to do such a policy, but this is my credo. I proceed from the fact that we should in 2009 carry out a policy of common sense, but not a PR campaign. This first and foremost concerns the government, the parliament and the President himself," Yushchenko noted.

Commenting on L. Kravchuk's statement, President Yushchenko expressed confidence that no one want to return to those conditions Ukraine and its economy had experienced, over the period of his presidency in particular. "Those people, who lived in the 1990s, even if they forgot Leonid Makarovych, will always remember about "kravchuchka" [a two-wheel hand truck], as this was a symbol of poverty, a symbol of our decline, social first of all. Don't let this repeat again," V. Yushchenko claimed.

As reported, on February 24, the first president of independent Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk, called on in his televised address incumbent President Viktor Yushchenko to resign and call early presidential elections.

UKRINFORM