Odesa experts talk about the election campaign in Ukraine

In wartime, political communication, media, and sociology are closely intertwined. Trust in the government is formed not only by the actions of the state, but also by the way these actions are presented.

How Ukrainians' trust in the government has changed, whether military polls can be considered reliable, and where the line between ethical data collection and manipulation lies - these were the topics discussed on the air of Intent. Insight with political scientist Oleksandra Reshmedilova and sociologist Hanna Yatvetska.

According to Reshmedilova, the election campaign in Ukraine de facto began in May 2022, when political forces began to gradually intensify, despite martial law. However, de jure, there are no elections and there will be no elections until the state budget includes a line item for financing the electoral process.

When we see the funds in the budget, then we can talk about elections," the expert noted.

Yatvetska added that since 2023, political forces have been ordering research to create portraits of potential candidates.

"Customers often don't say who they want to promote, they only ask to 'draw' the ideal image of the candidate, and then it's up to you to guess," the sociologist said.

Both experts agreed that elections after the war could be held under a special law that would take into account security restrictions, the status of frontline territories, and millions of IDPs. At the same time, the main obstacle is funding, as it is unrealistic to hold national elections without external support.

According to Reshmedilova, any know-how can be invented: voting in two days, postal voting, remote voting. But we need to understand that no embassy will be able to accommodate such a large number of Ukrainians abroad, and this is already a double budget.

The guests also discussed the extent to which current opinion polls reflect the real mood of citizens. According to Yatvetska, during the war, many respondents are not ready to openly criticize the government, so some of the results may be "socially desirable."

At the same time, control over the information space, which has intensified since the start of the great war, poses a risk to freedom of speech, but also allows for the maintenance of a single narrative, which is necessary in times of crisis.

In June, the Verkhovna Rada began drafting a bill on holding elections after the war. Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk noted that several basic scenarios are being prepared so that Ukrainians can exercise their constitutional right to choose. According to him, the parliament will be able to find an optimal legislative compromise.

Анна Літман