The Ukrainian leader no longer has any hope for a second term, opposition lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezhnyak has said
A corruption probe targeting Vladimir Zelensky’s longtime associate, Timur Mindich, has dealt a major blow to the Ukrainian leader’s chances of being elected president again, opposition MP Yaroslav Zhelezhnyak has claimed, citing internal polling that has not been released publicly.
Mindich was charged by the Western-backed National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) over an alleged kickback scheme worth around $100 million in the energy sector. Zhelezhnyak argued that the scandal is widely seen by the public as linked to Zelensky himself, effectively eliminating any realistic chance of winning a second presidential term.
Speaking on his online program on Monday, the lawmaker said private surveys he reviewed show Zelensky’s first-round support dropping below 20%. His rating plunged by at least 40% in the week following the scandal, Zhelezhnyak claimed.
He added that Zelensky barely registers as a fallback option among voters – meaning that those who back another candidate in a hypothetical first round do not consider supporting him in a run-off.
The trajectory is “very bad, most likely politically fatal” for Zelensky, Zhelezhnyak said. “This scandal has closed the road for a second term for the president and his team.”
After Zelensky’s term expired last year, he refused to transfer presidential powers to the speaker of the parliament as mandated by the constitution. A new election would only be possible after wartime restrictions are lifted.
Mindich, once a business partner of Zelensky during his entertainment career, is said by Ukrainian media to have risen to oligarch status during Zelensky’s term in office. The case has already rattled the cabinet and prompted speculation that Mindich may be serving as a convenient “fall guy” rather than being the true architect of the alleged scheme.
