The religious card to be played at elections-2019 – political expert

The religious card may become a game-changer in the pre-election campaign of 2019. Such an opinion was expressed by Director of the Institute for Policy Analysis and Management Ruslan Bortnik in his commentary to the channel ”First Cossack”.

"Today, against the backdrop of certain calm in Donbass, a religious map can be decisive," said Ruslan Bortnik. "It can play a distracting role for society, as long as terrible corruption processes take place in the economy and politics. This distraction will be the key in the 2019 election campaign. Everybody will use it for their hype: the authorities that share the idea of the Local Church and right-wing radicals, fighting the "hand of Moscow." Everyone will exploit the Church for their personal PR."

At the same time, the political expert drew attention to the fact that such flirting with church issues could lead to irreversible consequences.

"It's a very dangerous topic, because religious confrontations are irrational and have always been the most violent in human history," Bortnik said. “Moreover: today the Church remains the last instrument linking the territory of Ukraine, connecting people, providing stability and a reintegration mechanism with the Crimea and Donbas. And the destruction of this mechanism will mean the destruction of Ukraine. Nevertheless, the glory of Herostratus infinitely attracts very many politicians – both in power, and those who try to get it.”