Darth Vader and Chewbacca were arrested in Ukraine for trying to vote

On Sunday afternoon, two men dressed as Darth Vader and Chewbacca were barred from casting their ballots in this year’s Ukrainian Parliamentary elections.The noted Sith Lord and Wookiee freedom fighter rolled up to a polling station in Odessa over the weekend only to find themselves ambushed by local authorities.

Vader, flanked by an outfit of Stormtrooper bodyguards, was actually able to make it into the station where he presented a Ukrainian passport, asserting that he held duel citizenship in the country as well as the greater Galactic Empire.

Chewbacca, on the other hand, was detained for leaving their shared vehicle double-parked outside of the building and illegally campaigning so close to an official voting site. The whole ordeal was caught on camera.

“If you want to take a selfie with [my guards,] go ahead,” Vader said to the flock of admirers who followed him into the building. “I allow that, but expelling my bodyguards is not allowed.”

Everything seemed to be going fine for the Tatooine native until voting officials informed him that his name did not appear on the list of properly-registered voters. Indignant and seemingly devoid of his famed Force abilities, Vader accused the Ukrainian government of “massive falsifications” in an attempt to limit his influence.

In reality, Ukrainian officials have dealt with a number of different Vaders’ attempts to work their way into local politics over the years. As Comic Book Resources points out, Ukraine’s internet party unsuccessfully tried to get 16 different Darth Vaders on the ballot last year alone for a number of different offices.

Defeated, Vader and his troopers left the station only to find that their driver had been taken into custody for failing to produce a valid driver’s license and being unable to pay the requisite fine of about $8 US. He explained that the intergalactic bank that he does business with didn’t have any branches on Earth.