Page 7 - UKRRptMay19

exposed to external shocks or more political turmoil.
2.0 Politics
2.1 Zelenskiy wins election in every region of Ukraine except Lviv
Ukraine’s presidential election is over and outsider and comic Volodymyr Zelenskiy crushed incumbent Petro Poroshenko, winning in every region in the country, except Lviv in the west by 73% to 24%
Zelenskiy’s message of inclusion and his appeal to both Russia and Ukrainian speakers won out over Poroshenko’s ethno-nationalism and focus on “Army, Faith and Language” that drove new divisions into Ukrainian society.
The new president-elect quickly clashed with the Kremlin after Russian president Vladimir Putin decreed an accelerated programme to distribute Russian passports to the inhabitants of Donbas. Zelenskiy retorted by offering Russians passports and inviting them to leave the repression of Russia and live in the “free” Ukraine.
Zelenskiy’s victory gives him a powerful popular mandate but without representation in the Rada he will be powerless to make any change. The president’s new party Servant of the People needs to repeat its leader’s success in October if Zelenskiy is to able to make any reforms.
7 UKRAINE Country Report May 2019 www.intellinews.com