Volodimirs Zelenskis
President of Ukraine (06.11, “Twitter”)
“We all understand that in a time of war, when there are so many challenges, it is absolutely unacceptable to talk about elections so frivolously and playfully.”
In October, the International Institute of Sociology in Kyiv conducted a study on the conduct of elections. Conclusion – 81% of Ukrainians believe that elections should be held after the war is won. Residents are convinced that holding elections during war threatens to divide society. So far, the unity of society and the so-called “unite around the flag” effect have helped to resist Russian crimes.
Anton Grushetskyi
Researcher of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology
“Before the invasion, when people blamed these institutions for corruption, they demanded elections, because it is very important for Ukrainians to have a new government, a new parliament. Now they still criticize, but at the same time they say that the main priority is to win the war, to be united. That is why people are criticizing the government while saying that elections should not be held.”
Zelensky has indirectly stated that he would be ready to run for a second term. A few weeks ago, one of the largest Western media outlets, The Economist, published an article in which, referring to the data of an “internal poll”, it stated that Zelensky’s support in the public has dropped dramatically – to around 32%. Back in October, data from various polls showed that it reached over 60%.
Anton Grushetskyi
Researcher of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology
“When I saw the results of The Economist, I was irritated because it is actually a manipulation. Most readers do not know the difference between a trust level and a trust/distrust balance. The level of trust is the percentage of people who trust a particular politician, for example 60 or 70% trust Zelensky, but here they have used the balance of trust/distrust, which is the percentage difference between those who believe and do not believe.”
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Only the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valery Zaluzhny, has earned more trust than Zelensky. He has not shown a desire to get involved in politics and has not talked about running for office. Other possible rivals of Zelensky include Kyiv mayor Vitaly Klitschko, as well as former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko. The only person who has publicly expressed ambitions to run for office against the current president is his former strategic communication adviser, Oleksiy Arestovich.
In recent weeks, tension has been observed in the circles of Ukraine’s political elite. Zaluzhny and Klitschko gave Zelenskiy not very flattering interviews to the western media. The commander-in-chief of the army has criticized Ukraine’s offensive capabilities, while the mayor of Kyiv has criticized Zelensky’s supposedly authoritarian work style. This has caused concern about the unity of the Ukrainian political elite.
Elizabeth Vizgunova
Researcher of the Institute of Foreign Policy of Latvia
“Zelensky has managed to maintain public trust, Zelensky has managed to maintain the unity of the West in support of Ukraine, and I think we still have to move towards that and go. He is the only person who has this credibility here. It is difficult for me to judge whether his replacement, who could come to power after the presidential election, could be equally capable.”
It seems that Arestovych, who is trusted by just over 10% of Ukrainians, has the least chance. He has invited to sit down at the negotiating table with Russia and has even said that he could exchange part of Ukraine’s territory for NATO membership. Most of the society does not agree with him.
Holding elections in such conditions is practically impossible. First of all, in order to ensure the credentials of the elected candidate, there should be an equal opportunity to vote for absolutely all Ukrainians, including those on the front line and refugees. It would be a huge financial burden for a country that is currently actively at war.
2023-12-17 17:22:06
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