"Currently, I do have the largest support in this society, so if we'll have this election right now, then people will elect me, so it's not that I'm trying to stay in power because I will win the elections if the elections would be held now," Zelensky said during the interview.
Zelensky added that he did not cancel the presidential elections this spring but instead that it was required by Ukrainian law to delay them because the country is currently in conflict with Russia. The only way to hold elections now is to change the law, he added. The Ukrainian leader also said it is "nonsense" that he is avoiding peace negotiations as a means to hold on to power in the country.
Reports regarding the postponement of presidential elections in the country come amid Zelensky's decreasing public approval ratings. A national Ukrainian survey, published earlier this month, suggests that after the president dismissed Valery Zaluzhny as his commander-in-chief, Zelensky’s approval rating declined by 13%.
According to poll results published by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) that were part of the poll titled “Trust in political, military and public figures”, 64% of respondents expressed their confidence in their president, compared to 77% last December, while 35% mistrust him, compared to 22% last December.
On the other hand, Valery Zaluzhny, former commander-in-chief enjoys 94% trust rating, with mere 5% of people distrusting him (same as last year).