Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov demonstrates high confidence ratings in opinion polls and has the potential to transition into big politics. Analysts see potential for his possible political force to enter the Verkhovna Rada, but note that success will depend on reaching beyond the eastern region.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine (Олександр Хищенко) citing the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, according to the portal PromPolitInform.
According to research conducted in May-June, Ihor Terekhov topped the trust rating among Ukrainian figures with a result of 52%. Also, an opinion poll by the SOCIS company in March indicated that the potential project of the Kharkiv mayor ranked third among citizens’ electoral preferences.
Political prospects of city leaders
The popularity of the Kharkiv city head is due to the effective preparation of the city for the critical conditions of the last winter, which created a contrast with the situation in Kyiv. Despite rumors of a possible appointment to a government position, Terekhov remained at the head of Kharkiv, as the lack of his own representation in the Verkhovna Rada would have significantly limited his opportunities as the head of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
Currently, political circles are considering the option of creating their own project that could fill the niche of center-left forces. However, experts point out that the real attractiveness of such a party lies not in ideology, but in the demand for “strong economic managers” who focus on the internal resources of communities.
Challenges at the national level
Director of the Rating Sociological Group Oleksii Antypovych emphasizes that the success of the political force will depend on the ability to go beyond the electorate of the South and East. “Terekhov’s party has a chance to overcome the electoral threshold, but after the war, competition will increase, and the situation with support may change,” said political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko.
An important factor for the potential development of the project is population migration, due to which voters from the eastern and southern regions have settled across the country. Nevertheless, to reach the national level, the mayor’s team will have to solve the issue of positioning, offering solutions relevant to all regions of Ukraine.
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