KYIV – President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s rating has fallen sharply, according to the most recent surveys. It plummeted from 73 percent in September to 52 percent at the end of November. Nevertheless, he still appears to retain significant backing and to enjoy impressive support for his attempts to activate a peace process with Russia.
As the end of 2019 approaches, several recent public surveys reveal what the key concerns and hopes are.
The first half of the year was preoccupied with elections. First, the two rounds of presidential polls, on March 31 and April 21, followed by parliamentary elections on July 21. A political newcomer, Mr. Zelenskyy scored a landslide victory over the incumbent, President Petro Poroshenko, by a margin of 73.22 percent to 24.45 percent of the votes, and his Servant of the People party captured a majority of 254 of the 424 seats contested.