5 days before the start of the second round of the presidential elections in Ukraine, the army of domestic athletes who care about the fate of the country was joined by world chess champion Ruslan Ponomariov. Ruslan Ponomariov called on fellow citizens to support presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko in the elections. He made this statement today at the press club of the people's candidate.
"I want to fulfill my civic duty and support Viktor Yushchenko," said the chess player. He called on Ukrainians to "discard mercantile questions, fear, express their clear position and convey it to everyone." Ponomariov has no doubt that "after November 21, Ukraine will become happy, there will be democracy here." "I want people not to feel fear, to think over their decisions, and not to make them under pressure. So that the state helps citizens realize themselves and reveals their potential," said Ruslan.
He recalled the motto of the international chess organization FIDE "We are one family" and called on Ukrainians to heed it. "If we are together, we cannot be defeated," said Ponomariov.
Ruslan recalled that he himself comes from Donbas, from Horlivka, where he lived for twenty years. "My experience shows that in Donbas there are enough voters for Viktor Yushchenko, and in the second round they will come to the polling stations to vote for change."
"When a chess player plays," said Ruslan Ponomariov, "he builds a clear strategy for his game. I believe that under Yushchenko the state will also build a clear strategy for the development of Ukraine, in which there will be no time trouble."