The party of ex-president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, “European Solidarity”, bypassed the party of the current head of the country, Vladimir Zelensky, “Servant of the People” in popularity. This is evidenced by the results of a sociological survey conducted by the "Razumkov Center" from June 20 to July 2, 2020. Respondents were asked to answer the question for which party they would be willing to vote if elections to the Kiev city council were held in the near future.
20.4% of those citizens who have already made their choice have expressed their willingness to support European Solidarity. 19.3% of the number of identified respondents would vote for the ruling party "Servant of the People".
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The Udar party, led by Kiev mayor Vitaliy Klitschko, has a chance to get 11.5%, the Opposition Platform - For Life - 10.6%, and the Fatherland - 7.5%.
At the same time, 5% of respondents said they did not intend to vote in the elections to the Kyiv City Council, and another 8.3% had not yet decided on a candidate. The survey involved 2025 citizens over 18 years of age.
Recall that the local elections will be held in Kiev on October 25, 2020.
April polls conducted by the Rating group demonstrated the popularity of the ruling party in Kiev at 22.3%, 18.6% of respondents were ready to vote for the party of Petro Poroshenko.
Weak signs of growth
It should be noted that a certain increase in the popularity of the Poroshenko party “European Solidarity” is recorded at the national level. According to a survey conducted by the sociological rating group April 10-12, the ex-president’s party was in second place in the ranking of political organizations - 15.4% of respondents expressed their readiness to vote for it. True, the ruling party "Servant of the People" gained more than twice as many votes - 38%.
However, “European Solidarity” succeeded in crowding out the Opposition Platform - For Life party, which in April was supported by 14% of Ukrainian citizens.
- Petro Poroshenko
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According to Ukrainian media, in comparison with January figures, European Solidarity was able to improve its rating by 6%.
The rating of Petro Poroshenko himself is also growing, although at a very modest pace. According to a sociological survey published by the Razumkov Center at the end of June, the ex-president’s rating is 11.1% compared to 6.1% last year.
At the same time, the rating of the current leader of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, is gradually decreasing, sociologists say. If in 2019 56.1% of the country's residents expressed their support for it, now only 25.3% of respondents showed their willingness to cast their votes.
As Ukrainian political scientist and economist Oleksandr Dudchak noted in an interview with RT, it’s difficult to talk about any serious increase in the former president’s popularity - rather, Poroshenko begins to look a little more profitable against the background of the decline in popularity of Zelensky and his party.
“In fact, today the parties for which the people really would like to vote are simply not represented either in the Parliament or in the elections in Kiev. For example, now there is no “Party of Regions", although it could have won. But the political field is cleared. People are ready to vote for the parties of Zelensky and Poroshenko from hopelessness, ”the expert said.
According to a RT source at the Kiev International Institute of Sociology, the rating of opposition parties is growing at the expense of the Servant of the People party, both in Kiev and throughout the country.
“This is a common trend for Ukrainians, it is associated with high expectations of the work of President Vladimir Zelensky. No significant changes for the year of his work for the better have happened - the standard of living of the population has decreased, utility tariffs are still high, and the activities of the president’s office are constantly criticized. One criminal case is opened against Petro Poroshenko after another, and this leads to an increase in his rating. In Ukraine, they generally support those who are persecuted by the authorities. And this is another mistake of Zelensky’s office, ”the sociologist noted.
Moreover, the fact that “European Solidarity” was able to get high voter support in the capital, according to the source of RT in the Udar party, is logical.
“In Kiev, Poroshenko always had good support, he has the right policies and constantly criticizes Zelensky,” he said.
Political amnesia
Recall that in the spring of 2019, Vladimir Zelensky won a landslide victory over Petro Poroshenko in the second round of the presidential election. Zelensky received 73.22% of the vote, while the current president at that time managed to gain only 24.45%.
However, Petro Poroshenko does not lose hope in the future to return to the presidency. This politician and businessman said immediately after the announcement of the results of the presidential campaign.
“Together we are going to win the parliamentary elections, we will return to Bankovaya Street (the building of the presidential administration in Kiev. - RT ) after the next presidential election,” he told his supporters.
- Vladimir Zelensky
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- © Valentyn Ogirenko
The party of the ex-president changed its name from the "Petro Poroshenko Bloc" to "European Solidarity" and took part in the early parliamentary elections.
In the parliamentary elections, “European Solidarity” was able to overcome the passing 5% barrier, gaining a little more than 8%. The party created its own faction, which included 27 people's deputies, the faction was led by Irina Gerashchenko and Arthur Gerasimov.
During the election campaign, Vladimir Zelensky said that if he wins, a number of senior officials from Poroshenko’s time, including himself, could go to trial. In early June 2020, the State Bureau of Investigation announced that the former president had been suspected of a criminal case. As the department said, it was about the appointment of Poroshenko to the post of first deputy head of the SBU, Sergei Semochko, who was later accused of treason.
In addition, Poroshenko is a defendant in many investigations, the politician himself said recently that 24 criminal cases were brought against him.
One of the cases related to charges of money laundering was closed in early July - the crime was not found in the actions of the ex-president.
"Defender" of Ukraine
Meanwhile, over the past year, Poroshenko clearly gathered resources and forces for a new round of political struggle. The politician regularly appears on the air of popular television shows, where he criticizes the current government.
Ukrainian media say that in recent months, the ex-president has noticeably lost weight and, according to experts, has been under the scalpel of a plastic surgeon.
The financial position of the businessman was also strengthened - for the first time since 2014, he returned to the list of billionaires. According to Forbes, his fortune is estimated at $ 1.4 billion.
- The building of the State Bureau of Investigation in Kiev
- RIA News
According to an RT source in the Golos party, Ukrainians very quickly forget everything bad.
“A year ago, they voted against Poroshenko, and now he already looks like a stable and confident politician. Moreover, Poroshenko, as before, is actively using nationalist rhetoric, ”the source said.
A similar point of view is shared by the head of the Ukrainian analytical center, Alexander Okhrimenko.
“Poroshenko plays on the nationalist field, claims to have“ defended ”Ukraine from Russia. Poroshenko relies on the radicals, and still wants to return to the presidency. It is possible that in the local elections, his people will become mayors of some cities. However, despite this, his and his party’s ratings are still very low and Poroshenko will not be able to come to power legally in the foreseeable future, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.
Alexander Dudchak believes that Poroshenko plays in favor of his high media activity - in contrast to the current head of state, he can afford to systematically participate in television shows.
“Poroshenko scourges the current government, and after all the people really begin to be disappointed in Zelensky and his party. Although no one is in a hurry to forget about the sins of Poroshenko himself, ”the expert noted.
According to Dudchak, no matter what Poroshenko said from the stands, in fact he pursues very simple goals - maintaining his status and assets.
“And the only thing he is trying to offer the Ukrainians is a belief in an external aggressor from whom Europe must save Ukraine. This is the core of his program. In today's Ukraine, nothing can be ruled out, so Poroshenko may even return someday to the presidency, although this is not the most optimistic option for the country, ”the expert summed up.