Elections in Ukraine

What do a chocolate magnate, an energy tycoon later jailed on corruption charges, and a TV comedian have in common? They are all running in Ukraine's presidential election today.

Zelensky casting his ballot

That may sound like a joke, but it's serious business for a country at war with Russia. They are the three lead candidates for the job: the incumbent, a former Prime Minister, and a comedian playing the President in a television series. If there is no outright majority winner, the top two candidates will duke it out in a second election on April 21. The incumbent, Petro Poroshenko's approval rating has gained some ground recently but the comedian, Volodymyr Zelensky may score 26.6% of the vote according to one poll. 

Zelensky is the star of 'Слуга Народу,' or Servant of the People, a Ukrainian television series carried on Netflix. He has high recognition and his name is a household word. In the made-for-TV series, Zelensky plays a schoolteacher who unexpectedly becomes President of Ukraine after becoming famous for an anti-corruption rant that goes viral on social media. Servant of the People is, in essence, a campaign advertisement for Zelensky. A new episode aired just days before the election. In reality, he's a political newcomer with no real platform or experience. They say that comedians are highly intelligent people. Let's see how long he can stand up to the pressures of facing down Putin. 

The third candidate is former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. The most recent Rating Group Ukraine poll* showed Tymoshenko running neck and neck with Poroshenko, each with support from about 17% of likely voters. Tymoshenko was the head of an energy company in the 1990s, became Prime Minister twice, and was later jailed over a natural gas agreement that she signed with Russia. She is widely believed to be corrupt among the Ukrainians and the victim of political retribution by others. 

Personally, I have liked Poroshenko. He's been in a tough place. He lost Crimea and Donbas on his watch. But he got Ukraine through the separation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Russian Orthodox Church, possibly halted the complete invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and managed to get the EU and NATO to consider Ukraine's position in Europe. Given that he is fighting off Putin, it's not difficult to understand why it would be hard to get a really high approval rating. 

I am suspect of Tymoshenko and I don't know Zelensky. Looks like I'll have to watch Netflix tonight.

*МОНІТОРИНГ ЕЛЕКТОРАЛЬНИХ НАСТРОЇВ УКРАЇНЦІВ (22-27 БЕРЕЗНЯ 2019 РОКУ)

Дата публікації: 28.03.2019

http://ratinggroup.ua/research/ukraine/monitoring_elektoralnyh_nastroeniy_ukraincev_22-27_marta_2019_goda.html