As Ukraine faces ongoing government shakeups and an uncertain future amid a continuing separatist movement by pro-Russian rebels in the eastern part of the country, one candidate for parliament has chosen to bring some comic relief to war-weary citizens – he’s running a bonafide campaign as Darth Vader.
The candidate – who is affiliated with the Aegis of Internet Party – has legally changed his name to Darth Vader and is campaigning around the country in the traditional costume of the Star Wars Sith lord.
The Aegis of Internet Party is led by its founder, Dmitry Golubov, and claims to be the first of its kind in the world, with the slogan, “Electronic Government Against Bureaucracy.” The party has stated its ultimate goal of creating an “electronic government” in Ukraine.
Darth Vader has apparently been in Ukrainian politics for quite some time and during a race against Kiev’s mayor, actually staged an “assassination attempt” that was later included in a campaign video. The video shows Darth Vader fighting off a bunch of Jedi warriors on his way home from a grocery store.
It remains to be seen whether the recent international media publicity will result in legal attempts by the iconic film’s producer Lucasfilm to stop the candidate from freely using the Star Wars persona.
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