Ukraine's New President Gets Poll Bump Before Snap Election
Ukraine's New Leader Gets Poll Bump But Snap-Vote Plan Hits Snag
(Bloomberg) -- Ukraine’s new leader is enjoying a surge in support that could help him consolidate power at an early general election in the summer.
Sworn in this week after his triumph in winning the presidency, TV comic-turned-politician Volodymyr Zelenskiy is looking to emulate the rapid rise of France’s Emmanuel Macron by holding a snap parliamentary vote.
Polls show a jump in backing for his party, which currently has no representation in the legislature. And while some groups in the assembly weren’t keen on him bringing October’s ballot forward, threats of a legal challenge have receded and the election is set for July 21.
The sustainability of his bump in popularity is in question, however. Zelenskiy owes much of his popularity to a lack of political baggage in a country where officialdom and business are often too closely intertwined. While his campaign focused on vague pledges to battle corruption and build a transparent government, some early appointments to his team have raised eyebrows.
In another blow to his plans to remake parliament, lawmakers Wednesday decided not to even vote on a plan to eliminate single-mandate constituencies, a move that would help the president’s nascent party. Zelenskiy’s battle with Ukraine’s old-guard politicians is just beginning.
--With assistance from Kateryna Choursina.
To contact the reporters on this story: Daryna Krasnolutska in Kiev at dkrasnolutsk@bloomberg.net;Barbara Sladkowska in Warsaw at bsladkowska@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrea Dudik at adudik@bloomberg.net, Andrew Langley, Michael Winfrey
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.