Zelenskyy Gains Momentum as Ukraine Parliamentary Elections Loom

30 May 2019 14:04

A May 2019 survey conducted by the Rating Sociological Group found that 43.8% of Ukrainians support President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s the Servant of the People party, while 10.5% support the pro—Moscow Opposition Platform – For Life. Just 8.8% say they will vote for the pro—Western European Solidarity party led by ex—President Petro Poroshenko.

A May 2019 survey conducted by the Rating Sociological Group found that 43.8% of Ukrainians support President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s the Servant of the People party, while 10.5% support the pro-Moscow Opposition Platform – For Life. Just 8.8% say they will vote for the pro-Western European Solidarity party led by ex-President Petro Poroshenko.

“Ukrainian politics is about inspiration. Not so much rationality,” says Oleh Rybachuk, the Chief of Staff to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko.

Ukraine’s 450-seat legislative body, known as the Verkhovna Rada, is elected through a mix of party-list nominations (225 seats) and direct races between candidates in regional electoral districts (199 seats). 26 seats will remain empty due to the areas being temporarily occupied. To win seats, a party must receive at least five percent of the nationwide votes. A coalition can be formed with at least 226 MPs.

Washington, Brussels, and Moscow are closely watching the parliamentary elections as the new legislature will shape Ukraine’s foreign policy.

The new head of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's administration Andriy Bohdan said that any potential future peace deal with Moscow would have to be approved in a referendum by the people, similar to what is done in countries like Switzerland and Singapore.

Ukrainian government troops continue to fight Moscow-backed forces in the country’s east in a conflict that has killed over 13,000 people since 2014.