One Year of Zelensky’s Presidency: One Step Forward, One Step Back Russie.Nei.Reports, No. 33, Ifri, October 2020
The election of Volodymyr Zelensky as president of Ukraine created very high expectations in the society.
He built his campaign narrative around three central messages: peace in Donbas, the curtailment of corruption and the end of poverty. The hope that he could deliver on his promises was strengthened with the victory of his party (Servant of the People) in the snap parliamentary elections in summer 2019. It is the first time in the history of independent Ukraine that a single party has a majority in parliament. Therefore, President Zelensky enjoys unprecedented conditions, and, while he still has four years in office, the one-year anniversary is the right moment to make the first assessment.
Leonid Litra is a Senior Research Fellow at the New Europe Center in Kyiv (Ukraine).
Alyona Getmanchuk is Director of the New Europe Center.