Veterans on Bankova: what is behind Yermak’s idea to attract the military to the OP
22 August 14:52
ANALYSIS
The head of the Office of the President, Andriy Yermak, has announced a reform of the department’s structure, which envisages the recruitment of servicemen and veterans with proven combat experience for positions in all departments without exception. According to him, a significant part of the OP staff will consist of those who have experience of full-scale war.
What does this initiative indicate? In the fourth year of a full-scale war, Bankova decided to honor those who defend the country in this way and to participate in the creation of an environment favorable to veterans? Or, perhaps, for someone “smells elections” and it is time to make popular decisions? After all, strangely enough, this initiative coincided in time with the “peace” endeavors of the U.S. presidential administration and the expectations of many for a speedy peace. "Komersant Ukrainian" asked domestic political experts about it.
“This is an anti-crisis response to the fall in trust.”
Specialists see in this initiative both an element of anti-crisis PR and a possible step in the direction of preparation for new political processes.
Political scientist Vitaliy Kulik believes that the idea to involve veterans appeared against the backdrop of problems with trust in Bankova.
“Now there is a certain crisis of confidence in the Office of the President. Some recent actions, in particular the initiative of the law on NABU and SAP, hit the image of Yermak and the leadership in general. Therefore, there was a need for an anti-crisis response. Inviting veterans may become a sought-after trend, which is used to improve the situation”,
– the expert noted in an exclusive commentary .
According to him, the effectiveness of this idea can be questioned, but in political communication it works to strengthen the position of Bankova. Kulik notes that this is not only a personnel decision, but also a political signal to society.
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Political project with veterans at the center
The expert also connects the initiative with preparations for the upcoming parliamentary elections. He recalls that rumors about the creation of a new political project under Bankova have been circulating for a long time.
“For almost a year and a half there have been talks that the OP is preparing to go to the elections in several columns. “Servant of the People” will act as a kind of mass grave for the incumbent deputies who still have a chance to pass, and a new force may appear next to it – from well-known volunteers, media personalities, veterans and combat officers. These will be people with authority and a positive background, but invisibly connected to the OP.”
– explained Kulik.
In his opinion, in the regions, activities resembling preparations for such a project are already noticeable: headquarters are being formed, which publicly do not advertise the connection with the “Servant of the People”, but actually work in the orbit of the Office of the President.
“Elections are possible only after the war is over.”
Political scientist Stanislav Zhelikhovsky believes that it is too early to draw conclusions about the electoral strategy, because the key condition for any election is the end of hostilities and the abolition of martial law.
“Now it is very difficult to talk about the possibility of holding elections. Moscow does not want to sit down at the negotiating table and puts forward the same or even tougher demands. Therefore, so far we are far from lifting martial law and launching electoral processes.”
– he emphasized.
At the same time, Zhelikhovsky does not rule out that if a peaceful settlement is reached, the authorities may quickly launch a full package of elections – presidential, parliamentary and local, perhaps even in a short period of time. In such a case, the reform of the OP may turn out to be an element of preparation for this scenario.
“If it becomes possible to end hostilities and lift martial law in the near future, we may see all the elections at once. Then the initiative with the involvement of veterans in the power structure can be seen as part of this preparation.”
– the political scientist added.
Balance between reform and political technology
Thus, experts see different perspectives in Yermak’s statement: on the one hand – an attempt to increase confidence in the government by involving people with combat experience, on the other – a possible start of a political campaign, which, however, may be relevant only after the end of the war. In any case, for Bankova it is not only, or not quite about veterans. However, now in the near future we can expect high-profile appointments of media-famous servicemen to some positions in the Office of the President.
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