Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remains the leading contender for a second term, according to a recent poll conducted by the Rating Sociological Group on behalf of the International Republican Institute’s Center for Sociological Research, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda and Mediafax.
When asked, “If the presidential elections were held next Sunday, which candidate would you vote for?”, 31% of respondents supported Zelensky. Former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and current ambassador to the UK, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, followed closely with 25%. Former President Petro Poroshenko received 6%, while intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov was backed by 5%. In western Ukraine, Zelensky and Zaluzhnyi are tied at 27% each. Among respondents over 50, Zaluzhnyi slightly outpaced Zelensky (31% vs. 30%).
Public approval of Zelensky’s current performance remains relatively high: 33% said they strongly approve of his actions, 32% somewhat approve, while 16% expressed disapproval.
The parliamentary race, however, presents a different picture. A hypothetical “Zaluzhnyi Party” would secure 22% of the vote, surpassing Zelensky’s bloc at 14%. The Azov Party and Petro Poroshenko’s European Solidarity each received 8%. Zaluzhnyi’s hypothetical party leads across most age groups and regions, except in the south, where support is evenly split at 19%. Additionally, 74% of respondents expressed a desire for new political parties to emerge before the next parliamentary elections.
The survey was conducted between July 22–27, using computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) with a representative sample of 2,400 Ukrainians aged 18 and over, excluding temporarily occupied territories. The margin of error is ±2 percentage points.