More than 50% of Ukrainians consider the Office of the President too influential: survey data
More than half of Ukrainians believe that the Office of the President has excessive influence on state bodies, exceeding its powers. According to citizens, OP exerts the greatest influence on the parliament and the government. Over the past year, the share of those who share this opinion has increased from 52% to 59%.
Such data is provided by sociological poll, held by the Ilko Kucheriv Foundation “Democratic Initiatives” together with the sociological service of the Razumkov Center on the order of the CHESNO Movement in August 2024.
According to the survey, 55% of respondents also believe that the Office of the President has excessive influence over the courts, law enforcement and anti-corruption bodies, while last year it was 47%.
The CHESNO movement emphasizes that the lack of a public list of OP officials and legally undefined powers can contribute to the growth of the informal influence of the Office of the President.
As the survey shows, the majority of Ukrainians believe that OP representatives go beyond their powers, influencing legislative decisions of the Verkhovna Rada and normative acts approved by the Cabinet of Ministers.
It is interesting that 58% of respondents noted the influence of the President’s Office on the decisions of the parliament, and 59% – on the decisions of the government. The number of those who share this opinion has increased compared to previous surveys. In December 2023, 54% of respondents believed that OP influences the parliament, and 52% – the government.
Currently, about 25% of citizens do not agree with these statements, and another 20% do not have a clear answer to this question.
Infographic: HONEST Movement
There are regional differences in the influence of the Office of the President (OP) on state bodies. Residents of the southern and western regions more often agree that the OP exceeds its powers, especially in interaction with the parliament and the government. These regions also have the fewest respondents who do not have a clear answer to this question.
In the central and eastern regions, the situation is somewhat different: about a quarter of the population has not yet decided on the answer, although the majority (more than 50%) agrees with the thesis about the excessive influence of OP.
In addition, the survey showed that an increasing number of Ukrainians believe that the Office of the President exceeds its powers in interaction with law enforcement, anti-corruption and judicial bodies. If last year 47% of respondents shared this opinion, now their share has increased to 55%.
At this moment, about 22% of citizens do not agree with this statement, and the same number do not have an answer.
Regionally, opinions on the impact of OP also differ. Residents of the southern regions most often express concern about this. If in 2023 only 34% of southerners supported this opinion, now the figure has reached 70%. In the central regions, less than 50% of the population agrees with the thesis about the impact of OP, and here the highest share of those who cannot answer is also recorded.
Despite everything, the structure of the President’s Office still remains non-public, and it is not known for sure what functions advisers and assistants perform, as well as how much they influence decision-making by the parliament, government and judicial bodies.
The CHESNO movement has repeatedly drawn attention to the fact that the work of the OP should be more transparent, and the powers of officials should be clearly defined.
