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2.3​ ​Zelenskiy’s popularity crashes to 29%
The popularity ratings of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy have fallen by a quarter in just three months to just 29% down from 70% a year ago, according to a fresh poll by the Ratings pollster, Hromadske​ ​reported​ on September 16.
The initial flush of optimism following Zelenskiy landslide victory in the presidential election last April, which he won with 73% of the vote has well and truly worn off as his administration gets bogged down in one scandal after the other.
Zelenskiy’s Servant of the People (SOTP) also won an absolute majority in the parliamentary elections in July and initiated a​ ​hectic legislative programme​ with over 500 new laws that were to be introduced over a six month period. But little has come of the initial push and more recently Zelenskiy has concentrated more on taking control of the various security bodies than pushing through reforms.
Ukraine’s western donors are becoming increasing worried about the backtracking on the reform agenda​ and the preservation of “​Ukraine’s the Old Rotten System is alive and well​,” as Robert Homans said in a comment on ​bne IntelliNews​ this week.
In the latest worrying sign SOTP joined forces with the pro-Russian Opposition Platform, For Life Party that is headed by Viktor Medvedchuk, a personal friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, to vote through new rules that undermine the independence of Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). Together the two parties voted overwhelming to pass the new rules with a combined 202 votes, plus sufficient support from the smaller parties to see the measure through with 231 votes in the 450 member body.
9​ UKRAINE Country Report​ October 2020 ​ ​www.intellinews.com