This party may not be a real election force, but it’s looking to get attention with some help from the dark side. Star Wars villain Darth Vader is the official leader of the Internet Party of Ukraine, which is taking part in the parliamentary election, scheduled for October 26.
In the run-up to the election, the party released a video, which features Darth Vader strumming a bandura, a traditional Ukrainian instrument, and hugging a statue of a Ukrainian Cossack hero.
One of the slogans used in the video is “We won’t allow you to eat our salo,” referring to a traditional Ukrainian food consisting of cured slabs of fatback.
Formed in 2007, the Internet Party of Ukraine first came to the limelight last May, when it tried to register Darth Vader as its candidate in the presidential election. However, the election committee refused to acknowledge the candidate since its true identity could not be verified.
Well-known Ukrainian computer hacker Andrei Shebella, who is reportedly part of the movement Anonymous, is one of the party’s activists.
In the upcoming election, the party has a list of candidates featuring, in addition to Darth Vader, Star Wars characters Yoda and Chewbacca.
The party’s platform features a diverse collection of ideas, including free training for all Ukrainian citizens in PC use and foreign languages and abolition of the value added tax.
