Editor’s note: The March 31 presidential election is seeing many candidates with no political background. One of the top candidates, according to the polls, is Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a comedian-actor and producer. Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, the front man of Okean Elzy, a popular rock band, reportedly considers running. Oleksandr Shevchenko, the director of Bukovel, Ukraine’s top ski resort owned by oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, also runs for president.
Daniil Bodashevskyi, student
“President is a person who makes the decisions on the national level. How can president solve the problems of such scale if she or he never dealt even with local governing issues? Honesty and principles won’t help them.”
Andriy Sirchenko, chief marketing officer
“It would be much better if our president comes from outside the political system. There is a certain political ecosystem in the country, and if a person was growing in it, he or she becomes a part of it. The person cannot provide significant changes then. Even if a person does not understand politics, but has the comprehension of how to solve the problems, especially entrepreneurial problems, then it is a much more suitable candidate. Because then it will be a president who deals with problems, not fights for power. Nonetheless, I think Ukrainians don’t have much trust in anyone.”
Anna Stoyanova, entrepreneur
“I think the best age for politicians is 70 years. Of course, some actors are not stupid people, but the president should be mature and have a political background.
Talking about Volodymyr Zelenskiy, he is a great guy and an actor, but he should stay an actor. Svyatoslav Vakarchuk should remain a singer. Oleksandr Shevchenko should be occupied with Bukovel resort.”
Nina Kolomiets, retiree
“I think the person without experience in politics cannot become the president. Our country is such a complicated situation that a person without proper background won’t be able to fix it. I would like to see a young president. However, it should be a well-prepared person. Honesty cannot impact much his or her ability to rule the country.”
Ihor Romanov, economist
“Sure, why not? The U.S. had plenty of presidents without political background. Even when the president was goofy, there was the Senate. One person cannot influence anything, but a group of people can impact the situation significantly. Whoever we get for president, if he has a (good) team which supports and controls him, he can be a good option.”
Oleksandra Honcharenko, retiree
“No matter what background the president has, the most important is that this person has the personal traits that correspond to God’s laws. It should be an absolutely honest individual who says what is on his or her mind. The president has to have kindness and think about other people, not about himself. Thirdly, the person should be patient. If the president will follow those three principles, he or she will achieve the success.”
