16:37 12.02.2021

Decline of confidence in president, Servant of People party, rise in tariffs may lead to early elections to Rada or change of govt – political scientist

3 min read

KYIV. Feb 12 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The decline in Ukrainian citizens' confidence in President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Servant of the People party, as well as the rise in tariffs that forced Ukrainians to protest in the winter, may become preconditions for holding early parliamentary elections and changing the government in the country, political analyst Taras Zahorodny said.

"If you believe the real figures, the confidence rating of the willingness to vote for the incumbent president and the Servant of the People party is falling, especially after the local elections," Zahorodny said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine titled "End of Social, Political Aggravation׃ Change of Government or Early Parliamentary Elections?"

According to him, "the local elections in Brovary and Boryspil were very indicative, where the Servants of the People received 22% of the votes in the autumn local elections, gaining the highest rate, but now it is about 7%."

He said that "the rise in tariffs, which has increased into real protests, the economic downturn, the departure of young people and specialists from the country, the unresolved issue of Donbas, as well as the ban on Medvedchuk's television channels, exacerbates the complex of problems that have accumulated in the authorities." "Theoretically speaking, the refrigerator is beginning to win over the television. It is obvious that people's disappointment regarding the management and solution of problems by the elected authorities is only growing," Zahorodny said, adding that "someone must answer for this."

According to the political scientist, "while the entire rating of Servants of the People rests on the residual trust of Ukrainians in Zelensky, however, an arc of instability is growing around him, which may end in re-election of parliament."

"It is clear that he [Zelensky] does not want this. If there is a vote on open lists at the re-election, it is clear, and according to sociology, that Opposition Platform – For Life will come first, European Solidarity in second, Batkivschyna will take third, and only the fourth will remain with Servants of the people," Zahorodny said.

The political scientist also said that "the best option for Zelensky would be to replace the government, starting with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal," to whom all the failures of power can be attributed. "If Shmyhal is not dismissed, Zelensky will be the next target. And we will get either early presidential and then parliamentary elections," Zahorodny said.

In turn, expert of Gardarika Strategic Consulting Corporation Kostiantyn Matviyenko said that "at the moment the government is working at all without a program, without understanding even the immediate goals, not to mention strategic ones."

"We run into the need to form a new government, which will determine the strategic goals and the course of forming an effective executive power. Now in Ukraine there are all conditions for this, except for the quality of the management process," the expert said.

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