Usyk in the presidential election: Zelensky’s rival or media phenomenon

16 January 13:26

Not long ago, the media reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s biggest rival in the political arena is not the former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, but boxer Oleksandr Usyk. This assumption has become a topic of discussion among political analysts, as Usyk, although a prominent boxer, has no official political career. However, given the results of the previous elections, we cannot rule out his possible participation in the political life of the country. Komersant ukrainskyi analyzed whether Usyk could become a serious competitor to Zelensky in the presidential election.

Closed polls: new names in the political field

Political analyst Mykola Davydyuk told Radio NV that he had seen closed polls on the election, where not only the name of former Commander-in-Chief and current Ambassador to the UK Valeriy Zaluzhnyi appeared, but also boxer Oleksandr Usyk.

According to him, “Zelensky, technically speaking and cynically, should be more afraid of Usyk than, for example, Zaluzhny.”

“Because Usyk has a light rating because of his victories in fights, according to some sociology, he is third. People don’t want to measure him and are afraid of him, but the dynamics of Usyk’s rating growth is the highest in the country. And he has people with money around him. Therefore, if we are talking about who is Zelensky’s biggest competitor, Usyk is now a bigger competitor than Zaluzhnyi and all the others,” said Davidiuk.

He emphasized that this does not mean that the famous boxer will run, despite his high position in closed polls.

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Usyk as a potential competitor for Zelensky

In an exclusive commentary for ,political analyst Ihor Reiterovych said that the situation with Oleksandr Usyk’s potential political path looks somewhat speculative.

“Look, in general, yes, sometimes such names are inserted into polls. But, to be honest, it is very difficult for me to imagine his possible entry into politics, at least for the post of president,” the political scientist said.

Reiterovich adds that despite Usyk’s popularity, he considers such a possibility unlikely, as the athlete has not shown any obvious political ambitions.

“It’s possible to put him on some list somehow, given his background and certain statements he made. But it seems to me that this is just an option to fill in some empty box, so far, an empty box in their own polls,” the political scientist said.

In his opinion, sociologists sometimes insert the names of public figures, such as Usyk, just to “fill the list of candidates.”

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“Sociologists sometimes insert people there on the principle that they need to recruit a certain number of candidates, because the field is actually quite limited now. They sometimes put people in there, just those who are popular,” he explains.

According to Reiterovich, Usyk is undoubtedly widely popular in Ukraine, and that is why his name is actively appearing in opinion polls.

“Usyk is definitely on the radar, and we already have the story of Zelensky’s run for the election, Klitschko’s run for the election. It is believed that people who represent sports or show business can do something like that,” the political scientist comments.

Whether Usyk has serious political ambitions

However, he doubts that Usyk has serious political ambitions.

“But, to be honest, I don’t see him having even minimal political ambitions, plus he is still pursuing his career, so it is unlikely in the near future,” Reiterovich adds.

The political analyst also notes that Usyk’s presence on the lists of candidates is probably more an element of statistical analysis than a real threat to the current president.

“Most likely, this is just an element, you know, to dilute the list of those who can run, and to see in general, to assess the ability of Ukrainians to vote for people who are far from politics or, for example, from business. It may be indicative and interesting, but it is unlikely that such people will have any great chances,” the political scientist summarizes.

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Usyk can be the face of a small political project

Political analyst Volodymyr Tsybulko in a commentary [Kommersant] said that Usyk may be able to lead a small political project, but he is unlikely to become a new “leader” for a large party.

“Usyk can be the face of some small political project, and nothing more,” Tsybulko said.

The political analyst noted that Ukrainian politics is already oversaturated with show business.

“And after such a huge invasion of show business under Zelensky’s umbrella, society is unlikely to accept a new show businessman at the head of a major party,” Tsybulko explained.

According to the political scientist, society is now more focused on professionals who are able to solve the country’s current problems. Usyk, although he has charisma and popularity, is unlikely to be able to offer anything more than a bright media presence.

“There is a great demand for professionals now. Therefore, no matter how much sociologists throw Usyk into the mix… Usyk is a person who knows how to stay in the media field. He is moderately provocative, which is useful for politics. But in general, we don’t see anything but this trail of flirtation with the UOC-MP… we just don’t catch Usyk’s political ideas-what he stands for and what project he can represent. So it’s more of a no than a yes,” the expert summarizes.

Thus, although Usyk remains an iconic figure in the sports world, his political potential in Ukraine seems to be underutilized, especially in the face of high demand for competence and clear programs of action in public administration.

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Остафійчук Ярослав
Editor