To serve the people – total power in Zelensky’s hands
To serve the people – total power in Zelensky’s hands

Author(s): Tadeusz Iwański
Contributor(s): Ilona Duchnowicz (Translator)
Subject(s): Governance, Government/Political systems, Electoral systems, Social development, Sociology of Politics
Published by: OSW Ośrodek Studiów Wschodnich im. Marka Karpia
Keywords: Volodymyr Zelensky; presidential and parliamentary elections; Ukrainian politics; political experience; political reforms; political system; development of Ukrainian state;
Summary/Abstract: The key slogans of the campaign of Volodymyr Zelensky and his party Servant of the People ahead of the presidential and parliamentary elections were: to bring fresh blood into the political class and to introduce honest professionals to politics who have not been discredited. The new president had no political experience whatsoever and, as a result of the parliamentary election, over three quarters of the seats in the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian parliament) will be taken by individuals who have never served as members of parliament. The new parliament will have the lowest average age of its deputies since 1991 and the largest proportion of women (around 20%). The largest number of new and young politicians has been introduced to the Verkhovna Rada by the Servant of the People party and the Voice party. The sweeping victory attained by Zelensky’s party will allow it to form a government by itself. The president has announced that a new prime minister will be an economist “without political experience”, and it can be assumed that this principle will also apply during the selection of most of the new ministers. Thus Ukraine, being at war with Russia and struggling with low economic growth, will be governed by individuals who are new to politics. This situation, being an effect of the high hopes and expectations of the Ukrainian public for a fundamental change of the system, is giving rise to the significant potential for positive changes but also might put the political stability and further development of the Ukrainian state at risk.

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