Istanbul Gelisim University - Efforts for the church put Poroshenko into the second round

Efforts for the church put Poroshenko into the second round

Since none of the candidates reached 50% of the votes, in the first round, Poroshenko and Zelenskiy will compete in the second round of elections in Ukraine. Evaluating the elections in Ukraine Asst. Prof. at IGU Political Science and International Relations Department Dr. Viktoriia Demydova said: “Petro Poroshenko managed to improve his rating shortly before the election thanks to his efforts on the establishment independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church with the approval of the Constantinople Patriarchate”.

The first round of presidential elections in Ukraine was completed. Nearly 10 million 253 thousand voters went to the polls. In the first round of the famous comedian Vladimir Zelenskiy the first with 30.44 percent of votes, the current President Petro Poroshenko was the second with 16.15 percent, and one of the favorite candidates the former Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko was the third with the 13.16 percent of votes. Since none of the has candidates reached 50% of the votes, the elections were left for the second round.

While it was declared that the actor-comedian Vladimir Zelenskiy and current President Petro Poroshenko were left fort he second round, making evaluations on the subject Faculty member of Istanbul Gelisim University (IGU) Political Science and International Relations Department Asst. Prof. Viktoriia Demydova interpreted as: “Petro Poroshenko quickly increased his vote. Poroshenko survived the first round thanks to the efforts to establish the Orthodox Church of Ukraine with the approval of the Constantinople Patriarchate”

Stating that Vladimir Zelenskiy is very popular among the young people but lacks any political experience and professional team, Asst. Prof. Viktoriia Demydova added: “Zelenskiy is a leader in Eastern (31%), Southern (42.1%) and Central (28.5%) regions of the country, with the highest support in the South (42.5), while Poroshenko won the majority (25.8%) in the Western part of Ukraine. However, Poroshenko is the leader in the foreign constituency with 38.58% of the votes, compared to Zelenskiy who got 26.14%. Poroshenko has a support of the Ukrainian diaspora in the US, he has also established close relations with diaspora in Turkey, particularly during the negotiations with Fener about independent Ukrainian church”.

"POLITICS SWITCHES TO THE VIRTUAL SPHERE"

Dr. Demydova continued as follows:

“During the Azov crisis when the crew of the Ukrainian boats was arrested in the Crimea, or during the searches in the houses of the Crimean Tatars on March 27, Zelenskiy remained silent. Zelenskiy is particularly active in his social networks, ignores public debates that rather shows his image as a showman. In general, it seems that Zelenskiy or Ze, as he is called in social media, probably the analogical to the freedom seeker Ernesto "Che" Guevara, will win the run-off. However, it is quite difficult to discuss the effectiveness of his presidency, taking into consideration the lack of any political experience and the ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine. The victory of the comedian will signify the switch of the politics to the virtual sphere, where young Ukrainians are particularly active.”

Stating that oligarchs continue to win in Ukraine, as well as populism continues to flourish, Asst. Prof. Viktoriia Demydova said: “Ukrainians should not expect the radical reforms, or end of the war in Donetsk and Luhansk, or the return of Crimea.”

The second run-off will be held on 21 April. Additionally, the parliamentary election in Ukraine is scheduled for 27 October, 2019.