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Scoop of the weekend: Patriarch Epifaniy's enthronement, presidential campaign

Scoop of the weekend: Patriarch Epifaniy's enthronement, presidential campaign

Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Epifaniy was enthroned as leader of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in the St Sophia Cathedral. He held the first liturgy in this role. The honorary patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Filaret, could not attend the ceremony for health reasons.

Incumbent President Petro Poroshenko, who is seeking a second term in office, submitted his documents to the Central Electoral Commission. According to a survey by the Rating pollster, Poroshenko is one of the top three most popular candidates alongside Fatherland leader Yuliya Tymoshenko and comedian Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The leader of Nadiya Savchenko's Public Political Platform, Vira Savchenko, submitted her sister Nadiya's application to run for president. MP Nadiya Savchenko is in custody on suspicion of plotting terrorist acts. However, the required deposit of 2.5m hryvnyas has not been made.

Former journalist Dmytro Hnap, who was nominated for president by the Power of People party, submitted his documents to the Central Electoral Commission. He has managed to crowdfund 2.5m hryvnyas to make the deposit.

Former Prime Minister Arseniy Avakov decided against running for president in order "not to sow discord and uncertainty among the pro-Ukrainian national part of people who long for changes in the country". Instead, his People's Front party will focus on the parliamentary election campaign.

The Central Electoral Commission refused to register Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko as presidential candidate because his party's statute and symbols run against the law condemning communist and Nazi totalitarian regimes.

Eighty-three people have filed applications to run for president on 31 March. By 1 October, the Central Electoral Commission has registered 28 candidates.

Ukrainian political prisoner Pavlo Hryb, who is on trial in Russia on suspicion of terrorism, doubts he will be released and does not rule out he will die behind bars. "There is little chance everything is going to end soon. I see the following prospect: either death or prison where I am to spend the next years of my life. That is if I do not die before I get there," he said in a letter to the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

A hacking team affiliated with the Russian special services attempted to turn off the lights at Kyiv's Olympic stadium during the League of Champions final in 2018, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said. He added that there was a hard attack on a power substation feeding the stadium.

The Interior Ministry is examining the details of the dismissal of National Public TV of Ukraine Zurab Alasaniya, Avakov said. "I do not think that it is a good idea to dismiss the head of the public television in a murky manner two months before the election," he said.

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