Ukraine Elections
Russia Admirers Hope Zelensky Will Win in Runoff

2019/04/20 | Opinion, political

Strategic Council Online: The first round of presidential elections in Ukraine has ended, and Volodymyr Zelensky and Petro Poroshenko could make it into the second round with a majority vote. At the same time, the interesting point is the inclination of both the candidates is to the West, which has made the choice difficult for Russian admirers as an important part of the country's political process. Shoaib Bahman - Researcher on Eurasia

The Ukrainian election is debatable from several perspectives. Since the independence of Ukraine from the Soviet Union, its internal and external debates have been somehow intertwined. As in the previous elections, there has always been a kind of alignment between the Russia-oriented and the West-oriented.

Of course, even among the West-oriented, there are divisions so that some are close to the European Union and some others prefer friendships and close ties with the United States and structures such as NATO. These indicate that there has always been a kind of continuity between the internal and external issues of Kiev.

The current presidential elections that are being held after passing through the previous round in 2014, which led to certain events such as the separation of the Crimean Peninsula, outbreak of clashes and emergence of separatist groups in the Donbass region, and leaving behind a critical period in the country, enjoys great importance and people are looking to create a new course in the politics of the country.

In the past, the biggest competition was between pro-Russians and the West’s admirers. But in this election, despite the nomination of a candidate by the Russians, in fact, the main rivalry was between three other candidates – Vladimir Zelensky, Petro Poroshenko, Yulia Tymoshenko, with Zelensky and Poroshenko entering the second round with a majority vote.

Zelensky’s success to make it into the second round had messages, including the general dissatisfaction of the people with Poroshenko’s performance as President of Ukraine. Because he failed to cope with the economic situation and to fight corruption, political and economic affairs so that the oligarchs are still in control of an important part of the Ukrainian economy. During his presidency, Poroshenko failed to provide a solution to the Donbass and the Crimea regions, which changed the attitude of the people and made some of his admirers to turn away.

It should be kept in mind that Poroshenko took over with direct support of the United States. If he fails to win the runoff election it would be a big defeat for the US. It is also important to note that the United States did not provide Poroshenko with adequate support during his presidential term.

Another point is that Zelensky, as a West-oriented person, is more inclined to establish closer ties with European countries, while Poroshenko seeks to expand relations with the United States.

The political future of Ukraine will depend on the people’s support for one of these two candidates. Evidence suggests that the Russians will not vote for Poroshenko and that Zelensky will be a better choice out of the two hopefuls. On the other hand, given the controversy between Tymoshenko and Poroshenko, the former is more likely to ask supporters to vote for Zelensky, under which condition Poroshenko will be less likely to win the runoff.

It should be noted that during the past years, political sovereignty in Ukraine has been determined by interference and lobbying, and it is likely that, contrary to predictions, consultation and compromise between political leaders in Ukraine would lead to a different occurrence in the result of the second round of the elections.

Given the fact that both the candidates in the runoff are Western-minded, the future of Ukraine’s foreign relations with Russia and the improvement of relations with Moscow will not change significantly. Of course, Zelensky, unlike Poroshenko has a more lenient stance towards Moscow, due to a greater tendency towards Europe because his European supporters do not want tension with Russia. But if Poroshenko wins it will increase the likelihood of new tensions in relations between Ukraine and Russia.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

LATEST CONTENT

Zionist Regime’s Post-War Map for Gaza

Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on Middle East issues said: After nearly 150 days have passed since the attacks of Israeli planes on Gaza and the unprecedented genocide in this city, regional and international efforts to end the Gaza crisis have intensified.

Reasons for Inaction & Inefficiency of Intl Organizations in Providing Aid to Gaza

Strategic Council Online: An expert on regional issues said: With the start of the Gaza war, many major powers and international organizations not only did not take honest action to support the defenseless Palestinian people, but instead, with their support for the actions of the Zionist regime, they caused their crimes to increase over the past five months.

France and the Two-State Solution in Occupied Territories

Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on regional issues said: The announcement of France’s agreement with the formation of two states in the Occupied Territories is a measure to raise the international image of France and reduce domestic pressure on the Macron government for inaction against the Israeli crimes in Gaza.

The Prospect of US Military Withdrawal from Iraq

Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Although most currents, politicians and even ordinary people in Iraq call for withdrawal of American military forces from their country, there are sometimes differences of opinion regarding the time of this withdrawal. On the one hand, Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, the Prime Minister of Iraq, is very serious in demanding the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. Still, he wants to achieve this goal through “negotiation and political deal”. On the other hand, the Iraqi Resistance groups want the Americans to leave this country as soon as possible. The American side is also talking about a military withdrawal from Iraq in the next three years.

Russia’s Multifaceted Relations with Neighbors

Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs expert said: After Russia attacked Ukraine two years ago, the country’s relations with some of its European neighbors were severely disturbed in such a way that a clear future cannot be imagined for it.

Solution to Get Out of FATF Blacklist and Get Rid of Its Heavy Costs?

Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The Financial Action Task Force, FATF, announced on Friday, February 23, that the name of the Islamic Republic of Iran remains on the “blacklist” of this international organization. A decision that was not unexpected for the authorities of our country. According to the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, one day before the release of the FATF statement, due to the current sanctions, Iran is looking for its own FATF, as it uses other tools instead of SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications). On this basis, it seems that while the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon were removed from the “Grey List” of FATF in the previous reviews in June 2024, the Islamic Republic of Iran is not trying to be exempted from the blacklist. But what kind of organization is FATF, and why are some in Iran against joining it? And what is the way out of this situation?

Loading

Últimas publicaciones

Zionist Regime’s Post-War Map for Gaza

Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on Middle East issues said: After nearly 150 days have passed since the attacks of Israeli planes on Gaza and the unprecedented genocide in this city, regional and international efforts to end the Gaza crisis have intensified.

Reasons for Inaction & Inefficiency of Intl Organizations in Providing Aid to Gaza

Strategic Council Online: An expert on regional issues said: With the start of the Gaza war, many major powers and international organizations not only did not take honest action to support the defenseless Palestinian people, but instead, with their support for the actions of the Zionist regime, they caused their crimes to increase over the past five months.

France and the Two-State Solution in Occupied Territories

Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on regional issues said: The announcement of France’s agreement with the formation of two states in the Occupied Territories is a measure to raise the international image of France and reduce domestic pressure on the Macron government for inaction against the Israeli crimes in Gaza.

The Prospect of US Military Withdrawal from Iraq

Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Although most currents, politicians and even ordinary people in Iraq call for withdrawal of American military forces from their country, there are sometimes differences of opinion regarding the time of this withdrawal. On the one hand, Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, the Prime Minister of Iraq, is very serious in demanding the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. Still, he wants to achieve this goal through “negotiation and political deal”. On the other hand, the Iraqi Resistance groups want the Americans to leave this country as soon as possible. The American side is also talking about a military withdrawal from Iraq in the next three years.

Russia’s Multifaceted Relations with Neighbors

Strategic Council Online – Interview: An international affairs expert said: After Russia attacked Ukraine two years ago, the country’s relations with some of its European neighbors were severely disturbed in such a way that a clear future cannot be imagined for it.

Solution to Get Out of FATF Blacklist and Get Rid of Its Heavy Costs?

Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The Financial Action Task Force, FATF, announced on Friday, February 23, that the name of the Islamic Republic of Iran remains on the “blacklist” of this international organization. A decision that was not unexpected for the authorities of our country. According to the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, one day before the release of the FATF statement, due to the current sanctions, Iran is looking for its own FATF, as it uses other tools instead of SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications). On this basis, it seems that while the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon were removed from the “Grey List” of FATF in the previous reviews in June 2024, the Islamic Republic of Iran is not trying to be exempted from the blacklist. But what kind of organization is FATF, and why are some in Iran against joining it? And what is the way out of this situation?

Loading