Volodymyr Zelensky has now assumed office in Ukraine, receiving all the symbols of presidential authority – the bulava (mace), as well as the presidential seal, flag and collar – during the inauguration ceremony in the Verkhovna Rada. He solemnly spoke the words of the oath of office: “I, Volodymyr Zelensky, elected President of Ukraine by the will of the people, entering this high office, solemnly swear allegiance to Ukraine. I commit myself to protect sovereignty and independence of Ukraine with all my deeds, to care for the good of the Homeland and the welfare of the Ukrainian people, to protect the rights and freedoms of citizens, to observe the Constitution of Ukraine and the laws of Ukraine, to fulfill my duties in the interests of all Ukrainians, to raise the authority of Ukraine in the world.”
President Zelensky’s first words to the nation, his inaugural address, received mixed marks. Some thought it was on point, while others cited missing elements and language rejecting much of what was done by the previous administration. Its overarching message of national unity was commendable; the affirmation that “each of us is the president” and that “each of us is responsible for the country that we leave to our children” was encouraging; and the outreach to the Ukrainian diaspora around the globe was welcome. The president spoke of common dreams (“a path to Europe”) and shared pain (“each of us has died in the Donbas,” “each of us is a refugee”). The first task “is ceasefire in the Donbas,” the president said, adding that he is ready “to pay any price to stop the deaths of our heroes …as long as we do not give up our territories.” But there was no mention by name of the aggressor – an omission not lost on most observers. Mr. Zelensky also spoke several sentences in Russian during his speech – an attempt to be clearly heard by the Russian-speaking portion of the multi-ethnic population of Ukraine. (We encourage readers to watch the video of his speech that is available on his website, president.gov.ua.)
In the next few days, there was cause for worry about the new president’s first steps. As promised in his inaugural speech, he signed a decree dissolving the Verkhovna Rada and announced pre-term elections for July 21 – a move that is being challenged in court as a violation of the Constitution. He tapped Andriy Bohdan, Ihor Kolomoisky’s lawyer, as his chief of staff, once again raising questions about his own connections to that oligarch; he has named several TV colleagues to his presidential staff. Most troubling, irresponsible and dangerous is the idea, voiced by Mr. Bohdan, that the issue of peace agreements with Russia – the aggressor in both the Donbas and Crimea – can be put to a nationwide referendum. Without going into detail, Mr. Bohdan also said Ukraine should be ready for compromise with Russia. All this comes at a time when Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman and his Cabinet of Ministers have resigned, meaning that the Cabinet will operate in a caretaker capacity with limited power. Significantly, Mr. Groysman has been quoted as saying his suggestion that the Cabinet and Rada work together with the new administration to “shape a new agenda” was rejected by the president.
It’s worth noting that a newly released poll, conducted on May 10-18 by the Ukrainian Institute for Social Research, the Social Monitoring Center and the Institute of Economics and Forecasting of Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences, shows that 58 percent of Ukrainians generally trust Mr. Zelensky; 23 percent of those trust him completely. (The respondents were 2,100 people in 24 regions of Ukraine and the capital.) In the coming days, we will surely see how that trustworthiness holds up as the Zelensky administration continues taking its first steps.
Meanwhile, an online petition calling for President Zelensky’s resignation got 30,000 signatures in just one day. It was registered on May 22 on the Official Website of the President of Ukraine (see petition.president.gov.ua). There are 92 days for this type of petition to collect “signatures”; petitions that receive a minimum of 25,000 signatures are then considered by the president and the president’s response is published on his official website. Stay tuned.
With the Zelensky administration now completely in charge, we can only hope that the novice president stays true to his oath, and that he and his team will indeed protect Ukraine and work for the good of their homeland and its people.