Poroshenko more popular among Kyiv residents, poll says

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is more popular
among Kyiv residents as compared to the rest of Ukrainians, according to a poll
conducted by the Rating Sociological Group published on Dec. 18. Among those
who have decided how they will vote in the March presidential elections, 20.4%
of Kyiv residents will choose former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, compared
to 15.7% for Poroshenko and 13.5% for comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy. In
comparison, a recent national poll showed 21.2%
of decided Ukrainians voting for Tymoshenko, compared to 14.6% for Zelenskiy
and 11.6% for Poroshenko.

Among political parties competing for parliament, 20.8%
of decided Kyiv residents said they will vote for Tymoshenko’s Fatherland
party, 13.3% for Poroshenko’s Solidarity party and 12.3% for Zelenskiy’s
Servant of the People party. The poll was conducted between Nov. 16 and Dec. 2
involving 1,600 respondents. In comparison, the same national poll showed 23.4%
of decided Ukrainians voting for the Fatherland party, 13.0% for the People’s
Servant party, 11.3% for the Opposition Platform For Life party and 11.2% for
the president’s Solidarity party.

Zenon Zawada: It makes
sense that Poroshenko enjoys more popularity in Kyiv than the rest of the
country, considering wages are highest in the capital and far more residents
than average have been exposed to the West. But it’s surprising that the
strange Zelenskiy phenomenon enjoys strong support among the capital’s
residents, who are generally more educated and aren’t motivated to vote by an
ongoing fictional television series (in which Zelenskiy has been playing the
role of president). As for Tymoshenko, she has traditionally been popular in
Kyiv for more than a decade.

Another surprise from this poll is that Sviatoslav
Vakarchuk is hovering in sixth place among Kyiv’s decided voters, enjoying only
6.2% support, despite being widely recognized as advocating U.S. policies and
recommendations in Ukraine. It’s possible that his support will grow if he
officially declares his candidacy. But it’s clear that he will have an uphill
battle to overtake Poroshenko, who is the leading choice for those Ukrainians
most concerned about Euro-Atlantic integration.