"The President is criticized at every corner": how Zelensky is trying to return the support of the population

Over the past month and a half, the rating of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky has slightly decreased.

This is evidenced by data from a survey conducted by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).

Thus, among the survey participants who answered the question of whom they would vote for in the presidential elections if they were held in early June, 23% of voters spoke in favor of the current head of state (versus 23.4% in mid-April).

The next in the ranking were Petro Poroshenko with 13% (against 13.5% in the previous poll), Yulia Tymoshenko - 9.5% (8.9%) and Yuriy Boyko - 8.0% (7.1%).

At the same time, 11.7% of respondents said they would not go to the polls (against 12.5% ​​in April), and 10.8% found it difficult to choose from the proposed candidates (10.3%).

The rating of the pro-presidential party "Servant of the People" also fell slightly - 14.2% in June against 14.5% in April.

At the same time, the positions of Poroshenko's "European Solidarity", on the contrary, slightly strengthened - from 12.0% to 12.9%.

As sociologists note, now the level of support for both parties can be considered the same, since the difference between them is within the statistical error.

Next comes Batkivshchyna by Yulia Tymoshenko with 8.4% (against 7.0% in April), but the rating of the Opposition Platform - For Life (OPLZ) party has not changed - 8.3%, although it has dropped significantly since winter ( 12.2% in early December and 11.4% in early February).

The poll was conducted from June 1 to June 7 among 2003 respondents over 18 years old, living in all regions controlled by the government of Ukraine.

• Vladimir Zelensky in Donbass

• Reuters

• © Ukrainian Presidential Press Service

“The population understands that the authorities are simply entertaining them”

According to experts, Volodymyr Zelensky does not manage to significantly raise his rating, despite the fact that his team is actively working in this direction.

Recall that in 2019 Zelensky won the presidential race, gaining a record 73.22% of the vote.

However, after the victory, the Ukrainian leader quickly lost the support of the population.

To remedy the situation, the president's office has taken several steps in recent months.

In particular, the president tried to use the exacerbation in Donbass with maximum benefit for himself.

Several times he went to the front line, where he met with the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On one of his visits, he brought a CNN film crew with him.

After that, the journalists of the TV channel published a report in which it was claimed that the President of Ukraine and the correspondent had allegedly come under sniper fire.

In addition, Zelensky closed the 112 Ukraine, ZIK and NEWSONE TV channels close to the opposition party OLE, which criticized the actions of his administration.

Another initiative was the introduction of the so-called de-oligarchization law to the Verkhovna Rada.

Within its framework, it is planned to create a special register of oligarchs, which will include large businessmen with influence in politics and the media sphere.

• Meeting of the Verkhovna Rada

• RIA News

However, the population of Ukraine took this initiative in its own way.

According to the results of a poll recently conducted by the Socis Center for Social and Marketing Research, 35.7% of respondents called the president's intention a populist step taken to increase his own rating.

Another 12.9% of respondents believe that in this way Zelensky and his entourage want to redistribute property, and 8.8% regard this as an attempt to take control of the television channels owned by the oligarchs.

In the same poll, 50.1% of respondents said that he never fulfilled most of the promises made by Zelensky in the elections.

In addition, 55.3% of the survey participants called the current Ukrainian government unprofessional and amateurish, and 15% - populist.

In parallel with this, in recent days, a scandal has developed around the new design of the uniform of the Ukrainian national football team.

On June 6, it became known that the national team intends to perform at the European Championship wearing paraphernalia with the slogan of nationalists “Glory to Ukraine!

Glory to heroes!".

In addition, the image on the sportsmen's T-shirts added the Russian Crimea to the outlines of Ukraine.

Initially, UEFA approved the form in this form, but then the organization obliged the Ukrainian national team to remove the slogan "Glory to the Heroes!"

UEFA recognized that it has a political coloration and militaristic meaning when used together with the slogan "Glory to Ukraine!"

However, Kiev did not calm down on this: on June 11, the executive committee of the Ukrainian Football Association gave these phrases the status of the official slogans of the national team.

However, in the end, UEFA still asked the Ukrainian team to hide the slogan "Glory to the Heroes!"

- the press service of the union told RT that before each game of Euro 2020, the match delegate will check this fact.

According to a RT source in the Ukrainian cabinet of ministers, the country's population is skeptical about the latest actions by the authorities.

“The entourage of Vladimir Zelensky is in the clouds.

They think that it is enough to close the opposition channels, initiate criminal cases against the opposition, register a bill on de-oligarchisation in parliament and create provocative T-shirts for the national team - and the trick is in the bag.

But the population is well aware that the authorities are simply entertaining them, but in fact no one is going to carry out any reforms.

So the chances of Zelensky and his party for high ratings seem to be dwindling every day, ”the interlocutor of RT said.

"There are many factors, and they are all against Zelensky"

In turn, a RT source in the President's Office admitted that criticism of the head of state is only growing: “Zelensky is very sensitive to his rating and personally looks at social networks.

Nevertheless, he managed to turn the media, oligarchs and politicians against him.

So it’s not surprising that the president’s work is criticized at every corner.

And the further - the stronger, and this directly affects the rating. "

The reason for the dissatisfaction of the population with the work of the president lies in the fact that problems in the economy and social sphere are still not being solved in the country, political scientists say.

One of the most sensitive topics is the rise in utility tariffs.

• Independence Square in Kiev

• Reuters

• © Gleb Garanich

So, from June 1, retail gas prices for the population rose to 7.96 hryvnia (21.18 rubles) per cubic meter at an annual rate of "Naftogaz", and a maximum of 13.5 hryvnia (35.92 rubles) per cubic meter will be forced to consumers of a number of regional networks in Zhytomyr, Chernivtsi and Kherson regions.

Back in April, the National Bank of Ukraine warned that in the summer of 2021, the cost of gas will more than double compared to last year.

Because of this, according to the department's report, tariffs for other utilities will also rise.

The rise in prices for electricity continues.

In 2020, a preferential tariff was in effect in the country - 90 kopecks for the first 100 kWh, it was canceled in December.

Now there is a fixed tariff of 1.68 UAH / kWh (4.47 rubles / kWh), but from July it can grow significantly, Ukrainian media write.

According to an RT source in the Servant of the People party, Ukrainians "quickly become fascinated by politicians, but also quickly become disillusioned with them."

This is exactly what happened to Zelensky.

“Over the years of his work, the president has not achieved any breakthroughs.

The corrupt officials did not go to jail, there are continuous failures in foreign policy, even the vaccination of the population is going very badly.

For this reason, more than half of Ukrainians do not want Zelensky to run for a second term, ”said the interlocutor of RT.

In turn, Ukrainian political scientist Alexander Semchenko believes that several factors influence Zelensky's rating.

“There are a lot of problems in Ukraine.

Gas tariffs increased, Zelensky's land reform did not receive public support - this also affects the rating.

The war in Donbass continues.

At the same time, the "hawks" accuse Zelensky of being soft, while peace supporters believe that the president is doing nothing to resolve the conflict.

Attacks on the Russian language continue - Zelensky is following Poroshenko's course in this matter.

So there are many factors, and they are all against Zelensky, ”the analyst said in a conversation with RT.

Vladimir Zharikhin, Deputy Director of the Institute of CIS Countries, shares a similar opinion.

“It does not solve the main problems that worry people.

This is the war in Donbass, which he is only exacerbating, this is the standard of living, which continues to decline.

And these games are supposedly in the fight against oligarchs - they are not of vital interest to the bulk of the population.

In a situation where a significant part of the people simply survives, citizens will not be interested in the fate of a handful of super-rich people, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.

At the same time, Semchenko believes that the result with which Zelensky won in 2019 will not be able to repeat either he or any other Ukrainian politician in the foreseeable future.

“The real level of support for Zelensky in the past elections is what he received in the first round - 30%.

In the second round, they voted on the principle “not for Poroshenko,” Semchenko said.

In turn, Vladimir Zharikhin suggested that Zelensky's rating could continue to fall.

“At the moment, his support from the population is about 20%.

But with such leadership, the numbers may decrease and gradually come to the meager rating with which the previous presidents of Ukraine ended their reign, ”the expert concluded.