Volodomir Zelensky has the support of his citizens. This was revealed in a recent survey conducted by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) and published on February 20. It found that the majority of Ukraine wants the president to remain in office for the duration of martial law and would even support an eventual second term.
Hours after Russia officially invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Ukrainian president declared martial law, temporarily modifying the system of rules in favor of the government, to expand its powers for the duration of the emergency.
According to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, it is the "system of rules that takes effect when a situation requires that a military authority take control of the normal administration of justice."
The survey was published weeks before the theoretical end of Zelensky's term, originally scheduled to end in March 2024. However, according to the National Constitution, elections are prohibited while the country is under martial law.
The president spoke out about this in December 2023. He said that although was willing to proceed with the elections as planned, he believed that the majority of the country considered voting "dangerous and meaningless" in times of war.
The poll found that only 15% believe that the presidential elections should be held despite the war. This figure is made up of 4% who believe martial law should be temporarily suspended and another 11% who believe the rules of martial law should be suspended to allow for elections.
An additional 10% argue that the president's presidential authority should be transferred to the speaker of Ukraine's parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, once Zelensky's term expires.
Zelensky has enough support for a second term
Finally, the (KIIS) poll found that 53% of Ukrainians would support the president for a second term, down 6% from December 2023.
"Advancing the narrative that the president loses legitimacy in May 2024 primarily plays into the hands of Ukraine's enemies," said Anton Hrushetskyi, executive director of KIIS.
"You can have different attitudes towards Zelensky - support certain decisions, criticize others, but avoiding polarization and instability and preserving the control of government institutions is in the interests of the entire society," he added.
