A few days ago, Tik Tok was flooded with memes about Ukrainian presidential candidate Mykhailo Lebigovich. In the comments under almost every video, users write that they will vote for him in the presidential election. Let’s try to figure out what this trend is and how it started based on media publications.
Who is Mikhail Lebigovich?
According to media reports, a few weeks ago, a well-known blogger Mykhailo Lebiga watched an old debate between Yushchenko and Yanukovych during a stream. After that, he was dubbed a presidential candidate. Users began to write a lot about voting for Mykhailo Lebihovych in the comments under various videos.
Lebigovich is a play on words, a combination of the names Lebiga and Yanukovych. The trend for Lebigovich made a splash on social media. Followers began creating campaign posters, photoshopping ballots, and guessing informational slogans. In short, it was on. According to users, the blogger joined the “Party of Lebigons” or the “Servants of Calories” party (a play on words based on the Party of Regions and the Servants of the People).
Mykhailo is known by his nickname Leb1ga, according to vesti.ua, and became popular thanks to his Twitch streams. Leb1ga has been broadcasting for more than a year, but only started actively doing so in September 2022. The streamer watches funny videos, including reviews of Ukrainian TV shows. On average, his broadcasts attract 5000-7000 viewers at a time, which is a significant figure for a Ukrainian-language blog on Twitch.
In July, the blogger set an all-Ukrainian record for the number of views – the maximum number of simultaneous online viewers reached 34,800. This is the highest figure among all Ukrainian-language Twitch streamers. By the way, during this stream, the guy was raising money to help the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The broadcast lasted from 21:00 on Sunday until 4 am on Monday. The blogger wanted to raise UAH 2.65 million for a Sich reconnaissance drone for the Main Intelligence Directorate. However, he managed to raise this amount in just an hour, and Leb1ga decided to continue. In 7 hours, the streamer raised a record 8.35 million hryvnias, enough to buy three drones and a car for the same unit.
Leb1ga is a well-known blogger who actively helps the Armed Forces of Ukraine and organizes charity streams in cooperation with other opinion leaders, bloggers, and just famous people.
So what does the presidency have to do with it?
The blogger often watches different videos in his broadcasts and makes fun of them. It happened this time too, Leb1ga watched an old political ad and commented on it successfully. After that, TikTok users began creating meme videos suggesting that the blogger could become the next president.
At first, these were isolated cases, but later it became mainstream. Dozens of accounts with the name “Vote for Lebihovych” appeared online, posting campaign content. Such videos have quickly gained popularity and are guaranteed to gain tens, hundreds of thousands, and even millions of views, getting into Tik-Tok recommendations.
In most cases, this content is based on already well-known advertisements, ranging from billboards to old viral videos in the style of the legendary Dobkin and Kernes election ads on the eve of the election.
It even got to the point where users started ordering all sorts of souvenirs with Lebigovich’s images: bags, T-shirts, wallets, key chains, and so on. In some regions of Ukraine, they even started distributing Lebihovych posters and putting calendars with him on the windshields of cars in parking lots.
The trend started by social media users has even reached the walls of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Various MPs tried to ride the trend and “anoint” Lebihovych.
And what about Lebiga himself?
The blogger himself has repeatedly stated that he has no plans to enter politics and criticized his followers for doing so. He claimed that he was not interested, had no program, and was not ready to become president or even run for local councils. But the fans are unstoppable.
What’s next?
Most likely, this situation will not go beyond a meme. However, history has plenty of examples when such situations got out of hand.
Of course, the attitude toward Lebiga as a candidate is ironic. However, according to political scientist Ruslan Bortnik, if there were no war in the country, this situation could really get out of control.
When asked whether Lebiga could have really gotten a serious position if there had been no war in Ukraine, the expert answers: “There would have been a chance for sure. He could try to compete for the parliament and the votes of young people. Because this is a sarcastic segment of the population that is skeptical of the political system.”
However, right now, according to the political scientist, there are no prerequisites for the realization of Lebiga’s possible political ambitions: “In the conditions that Ukraine is currently facing, such a situation is unlikely. Yes, we have examples of the victory of comedy forces in the West. However, such a scenario is impossible in Ukraine now. Even if we are talking about Zelensky, who used to be a showman. His election campaign was not based on the activities of the 95th Quarter. They went to the polls with serious theses and a program.”
