Latvia: Ukrainian Woman Leads Candidates in European Parliament Elections
The Latvian liberal party Kustiba Par! ("Movement For!") has nominated Ivanna Volochiy, a Ukrainian from Ivano-Frankivsk, as its main candidate for the European Parliament elections to be held in June. The party has chosen Ukraine's accession to the EU and NATO as one of the main areas of its programme in Europe, TV Net reports.
If elected, Ivanna Volochiy will become the first Ukrainian MEP by ethnicity, identification and world-view.
Volochiy is currently a member of the liberal-centrist political group Renew Europe, which deals with cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Ukraine. She has Belgian citizenship, and the law on EP elections allows not only Latvian citizens but also citizens of other EU countries to be included in the lists of candidates in Latvia.
The candidate herself said that she was born in a small town in western Ukraine, but has been living and working in Brussels for 15 years.
"Today we must unite to defend our country and the European Union," said the leader of the EP Par list, stressing that Ukrainians are grateful to Latvia for its support.
Ivanna Volochiy will represent the interests of her constituents in the European Parliament. The politician noted that these interests include Latvia's security through Ukraine's victory and Ukraine's integration into the EU. She promised to be "the voice of Latvia and Ukraine in Europe".
The fact that she will lead the electoral list does not guarantee victory, as in Latvia, European elections are held under the "open list" system, where citizens vote not only for a party but also for a specific candidate.
Nevertheless, Par invites voters to vote for Volochiy because she knows how to get support for Ukraine.
As The Gaze previously reported, the EU has set the date for the European Parliament elections, which will take place from 6 to 9 June 2024.