Zelensky reveals remaining national poll questions

Ukrainian President Zelensky revealed on Oct. 15 the
remaining questions for the national poll that he plans to conduct alongside the
local elections scheduled for Oct. 25. He also encouraged the public to submit
their own questions for future polls, which he said could involve contentious
issues such as dual citizenship and the legalization of arms.

 

Meanwhile, Yevhenia Kravchuk, the deputy head of the
People’s Servant parliamentary faction, told the hromadske.radio news site on
Oct. 15 that the national poll will be conducted by a civic organization and
will be financed by private patrons.

 

The five questions are:

 

1.Do you support the idea of life imprisonment for
corruption involving especially large sums?

 

2.Do you support the creation of free economic zones
on the territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions?

 

3.Do you support the reduction of the number of
members of parliament to 300?

 

4.Do you support the legalization of cannabis for
medical purposes in reducing pain among those gravely ill?

 

5.Do you support Ukraine’s right to use the security
guarantees, as determined by the Budapest memorandum, to renew its state sovereignty
and territorial integrity?

 

Zenon Zawada: As more
details emerge about Zelensky’s national poll, the more sinister its origins
appear and the more disastrous its results have the potential to be. Before the
remaining questions were revealed, a source in the President’s Office had
assured the Ukrinform news agency that “no speculation about Donbas or other
classically provocative themes” would be included. And yet the second question
about economic zones falls within that category, in our view.

 

State officials are elected and appointed precisely
for the reason that they are assigned with handling difficult political and
diplomatic issues that require specialized knowledge and experience. Leaving questions
of geopolitical importance, particularly regarding the war in Donbas, to a
demoralized and largely destitute population is reckless and disturbing. The
fifth question of Budapest security guarantees is pure populism and
speculation, without any ability to influence or affect the decisions of
Western powers in how to deal with Russia.

 

This national poll confirms what was widely known
already, which is that the Zelensky administration is incompetent in handling
its serious responsibilities and incapable of comprehending the geopolitical
weight of its decisions. That includes allowing Kremlin agents to influence its
agenda under the guise of balance and “every voice being heard.”

 

Ukraine’s pro-Western community can only rely on
Western institutions –such as the IMF, IFIs, PACE and state diplomats, among
others – using their leverage over the Zelensky administration to prevent it
from making catastrophic geopolitical mistakes. While the national poll looks
inevitable (though its organization will be highly flawed with only ten days
until the vote), it can be arranged in such a way – with enough pressure on the
Zelensky administration – to be a one-off forgettable stunt by a group of
entertainers who themselves will eventually be one-off politicians. And who
will some day realize they were in far over their heads.