On Oct. 25, Ukrainians voted in local elections for city mayors, heads of village municipalities, local and regional councils. These elections were important for two reasons. First, they were the first ones to be held under the new Election Code, which made these elections a de-facto test for long-awaited electoral reform in Ukraine. And second, the elections revealed that Zelensky’s approval rating has drastically fallen, while the local elites managed to retain their power. In addition, they showed that the ghost of a pro-Russian comeback in the country’s east exists, but stays stable, as the pro-Russian Opposition Platform for Life mostly came in second or third place in the town and regional councils closer to the Russian border.
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Bohdan Ben: Stability of local elites and Zelensky’s crushing defeat
An observer watches the voting process at a polling station during the local elections in Kyiv on Oct. 25, 2020.
