Majority of Ukrainians believe that OP influences state bodies in excess of its powers – poll. INFOGRAPHICS
Almost half of Ukrainians believe that the Office of the President influences government agencies and exceeds its powers. The greatest influence is on the parliament and the government.
According to Censor.NET, this is evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation in cooperation with the Razumkov Center from December 8 to 15, 2023, at the request of the CHESNO Movement.
It is noted that the Office of the President, compared to the Verkhovna Rada or the government, does not have any specific powers in the area of lawmaking. It only has to ensure the preparation of bills that the President submits to the Verkhovna Rada.
According to the survey, most Ukrainians believe that the Presidential Office still exceeds its powers when it influences the parliament and the government. Thus, the Office of the President also influences legislation.
Just over 50% of respondents agree with this statement. About 25% of citizens do not support this thesis, and about 20% have no answer.
Regional differences in this regard are partially present. Residents of the western regions are almost 20% more likely to believe that the OP influences the decisions of both the parliament and the government in excess of its powers. These regions have the lowest percentage of citizens who do not have an answer to this question.
CHESNO noted that various circumstances can influence the formation of such public opinion. However, sometimes the members of the OP themselves demonstrate their influence on the parliament or the government.
In addition, about 47% of citizens are convinced that the OP influences the work of the judiciary in excess of its powers.
About 30% of respondents disagree with this thesis. Another 23% of Ukrainians have no answer.
The answers to all three questions - about the influence on courts, anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies - are almost identical in the regional context, so, as noted by CHESNO, the material also analyzes the attitude of regional residents to the influence on the judiciary.
According to the study, the lowest percentage of those who agree with the thesis that the Office of the President has excessive influence on the judiciary is in the south of Ukraine. There are 34.3% of such Ukrainians there.
In the East and Center, 44% of respondents agree with this thesis. The highest rate is in the West, where more than 60% of residents agree with this thesis.
"These results are part of the trend of Ukrainians perceiving the activities of the Presidential Office as having an impact on almost all state structures and institutions," CHESNO added.
