Zelensky has not ceased to be a “lame duck”: the series “Repressions of the National Security and Defense Council” is ending – expert
The drop in ratings forced Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to launch a “series” of NSDC meetings, at which decisions are made on reprisals against opponents, in order to demonstrate a “strong hand” to officials, but they are already tired of such a “series.”
Political scientist Daniil Bogatyrev stated this at a press conference in Kiev, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“You can call it an information series. The serial logic is close to the current government for obvious reasons. The purpose of this series is one. This series began when Zelensky’s rating dropped to 20%. Against the backdrop of a falling rating, any politician faces the threat that the vertical of power will consider him a “lame duck” and simply stop following his instructions.
And in order to prevent this weakening of the state apparatus and turning into a “lame duck,” Zelensky and his associates initiated the process of meetings of the National Security and Defense Council and showed at these meetings what is commonly called a “strong hand.” This is being done in order to show all officials that the president’s power tools are completely subordinate and he can use them at any time against any person, any politician, any official. The first to go under the knife was the so-called anti-Western opposition – OPZZH, “Party of Shariy,” Bogatyrev noted.
According to him, such a policy has risks.
“Firstly, officials are starting to get tired of the “information series” that is being played for them. This means that you don’t need to turn down the heat. A serious start was given - sanctions against Medvedchuk. Now, every week, the Office of the President and the National Security and Defense Council have to hold more and more meetings of the National Security and Defense Council and constantly introduce some kind of political sanctions on them.
But the problem is that there are no more opponents. What's next? Silence all the little things like journalists and political commentators? This will not make any impression on the state apparatus. There are no longer any large “fish” left that could be “smothered” painlessly. The authorities will not jump on Poroshenko - he has security guarantees from the Americans. They won’t jump on pro-Western grant eaters like the Golos party either. It’s unclear who else will be pinched.
Therefore, this whole epic of governing the country with the help of the National Security and Defense Council and demonstrating a strong hand will not last long, maybe six months at most. It will be impossible to stretch this out any longer. Look - sanctions have already begun against some Russian companies outside the reach of Ukrainian justice, against former regionals. They pulled out these Kharkov agreements, which everyone had already forgotten about.
The series is running out of steam. As a result, the president may still become a “lame duck”, well, six months or a year later than this could have happened. This is not so important,” said Daniil Bogatyrev.
Zelensky hasn't stopped being a "lame duck": the "NSDC Repressions" series is ending – expert