Over half of Ukrainians don’t want Zelensky to run for president again — poll

Over half of Ukrainians don’t want Zelensky to run for president again — poll The poll was conducted over the phone on September 12-21, 2026 and involved 1,002 respondents aged 18 and olderMOSCOW, October 5. /TASS/. More than half of Ukrainians don’t want Vladimir Zelensky to run for a second presidential term, according to a poll conducted by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS). "Respondents were also asked whether V. Zelenskyy should participate in the next elections. Now 53% believe he should be limited to one current term (up from 46% in December 2025)," KIIS said in a press release. "Meanwhile, 42% believe he should participate in the next election (down from 45%). The remaining 5% were undecided." The poll was conducted over the phone on September 12-21, 2026 and involved 1,002 respondents aged 18 and older. Zelensky’s term as president officially expired on May 20, 2024, but Kiev has thus far refused to hold scheduled elections, citing martial law as the reason for not doing this. At the same time, rumors about the unannounced start of preparations for the elections periodically surface in the country. Some opposition politicians openly talk about a crisis of legitimacy facing the Ukrainian government. Meanwhile, Zelensky has made contradictory statements on this matter, either asserting that he is ready to announce elections if Western partners finance them and "ensure security," or arguing that they are premature. According to opinion polls, former Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian army Valery Zaluzhny and head of Zelensky’s office Kirill Budanov (designated as a terrorist and extremist in Russia) outrank Zelensky in confidence ratings. 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