Political Developments in Kyiv Oblast Prior 2019 Presidential Elections

At first glance Kyiv oblast, with its 1 754 949 inhabitants, barely impresses as a valuable prize in electoral campaign. After all, the oblast consists of 9 single-member districts that translate in 9 seats at the national parliament. When compared with 17 seats allocated to Dnipropetrovsk oblast, 13 – to Kharkiv, 12 to Donetsk, or Lviv oblast, and 11 to Odessa oblast, this does not look impressive. The power struggle in Kyiv oblast might seem of limited strategic importance. Such a conclusion is, however, erroneous as Kyiv oblast has several distinctive features, which makes it central in power competition and power distribution after each election.