Now, by the end of the first term, he can only dream of such a level of support, which according to various polls has now dropped to about 6-11%. The undisputed queen of all public opinion surveys so far is Yulia Tymoshenko, whose ratings vary between 13-19%. This will be her third attempt at running for the presidency. However, being first in ratings can hardly be called a success - the truth is that neither of the candidates is trusted enough.Poroshenko's strongest points, according to his stategists, remain the external threat and the idea of no alternative.
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In the majority of polls, Poroshenko’s rating is no longer even second best. Nevertheless, various political experts do predict him getting through to the second round. As in 2014, Poroshenko's strongest points, according to his stategists, remain the external threat and the idea of no alternative. The external threat card has been exploited during the years of Poroshenko’s presidency as well. Ukraine has its president to thank for two new words - “zradophiles” and “porokhobots.”Zradophiles are those who sow “zrada” [betrayal in Ukrainian], focusing on the negative aspects of events in the country. Porokhobots in their turn praise Poroshenko for everything good happening in Ukraine, assigning all the president’s failures to the Kremlin's hand - and whoever disagrees is a zradophile. It is hard to say who is thus far winning.
The factor of no alternative

However, his public return has also been supplemented with bright attributes: his wife, a popular TV host, became a participant in the show Dances with Stars on one of the most popular channels in Ukraine, which led to headlines of outrage in the country. The pendulum swung towards “zrada” [betrayal]. But how might all of this be related to Poroshenko? Political experts suggest that the recent popularization of Medvedchuk and his being presented as a Mephistopheles in Ukrainian politics can benefit other players, in particular, Poroshenko. Against Medvedchuk’s background, Poroshenko can appear as the savior of the Ukrainian nation from a pro-Russian course. Similarly, some experts have suggested that behind the scenes Poroshenko and Medvedchuk are on the same side of the fence. Political expert Mykhailo Besarab says therePolitical experts suggest that the recent popularization of Medvedchuk and his being presented as a Mephistopheles in Ukrainian politics can benefit other players, in particular, Poroshenko.
“may have been a conversation with Medvedchuk on the candidacy [of Poroshenko during the Presidential elections 2014]. Most likely, for Poroshenko he has been a guarantor of fast agreements with Putin. Maybe these guarantees gave Medvedchuk an opportunity to take his place in Poroshenko’s inner circle. Also, Medvedchuk might have some signs or recordings of some conversations which might be unpleasant for Poroshenko. This is the only thing which I can justify [Medvedchuk] having such a confident position.”An indirect sign that Poroshenko relies on the strategy of demonizing pro-Russian forces are the words of famous Ukrainian economist Oleksandr Paskhaver who in 2015 was appointed by Poroshenko to be his supernumerary advisor. Recently, Paskhaver publicly stated that he was going to support Poroshenko during the next elections. His main argument was no alternative:
“Now as I see how dangerous the other path is and how powerfully the propaganda system works, I realized that I have to say publicly that I am going to vote for Poroshenko...because a different path for me is very scary.”
Why Tymoshenko is labeled pro-Russian

“I see straightaway a familiar hand and handwriting in Yulia Tymoshenko’s wordings regarding conflict settlement in Donbas - that of Russian and pro-Russian forces in Ukraine. I mean that we do not have any conflict in Donbas - we have Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine, occupying Crimea and part of Donbas. But there can only be one peaceful settlement: Russia takes away its troops and goes away and we restore control,” the expert said in an interview with Radio Svoboda.Political expert Oleksandr Paliy notes another sign of Tymoshenko’s supposed pro-Russianness. He believes the aim of her recent statements on the need to liquidate the state oil company Naftogaz after the presidential elections is clear - to make Vladimir Putin bet on her during the elections. The head of Naftogaz, Andriy Koboliev, also considers Tymoshenko’s statements beneficial for Russia. If there is no more Naftogaz, then there will be no company for Russia’s Gazprom to pay the $2.6 bn it owes Naftogaz in the Stockholm arbitration court’s decision. These suspicions towards Tymoshenko can help Poroshenko appear as the better choice.
What speaks for Poroshenko

- Introducing EU visa-free travel;
- Agreements on the supply of lethal weapons by the US;
- Initiating the creation of a united Orthodox Church;
- Strengthening of Ukraine’s defense capability, continuing with the army reform;
- Maintaining international support for sanctions against Russia.
“Ukroboronprom [the Ukrainian defence industry] always used to be a corruption feeder for presidents, during the Yanukovych era as well as during Poroshenko’s. If Poroshenko takes away commercial interest and tries to put things in order there, cheap UAVs and thermal imagers will appear."And the announced fight against corruption, something that has not made it onto the list of Poroshenko’s achievements, is proceeding more despite than because of Poroshenko. He is well known for putting his friends in key positions, which is why he is often accused of supporting corruption schemes. Politicians close to the President appear in investigations led by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. That is how the head of the board of the Center for Political and Legal Reforms, Ihor Koliushko, described Poroshenko’s main drawbacks.
"The oligarchic methods of forming his team, the permissiveness of many of those close to the President and business politicians, the chaos in parliament, which is exercising his political power, and the lack of targeted policies in many areas of reforms."Nevertheless, neither Poroshenko nor his real or imaginary pro-Russian opponents can boast high ratings, with even show-business stars being considered top candidates in the polls. All of this is a sign of Ukrainians’ complete disappointment - with the current political players in general, and Petro Poroshenko in particular.