Zelensky's tomfoolery coincided with the global trend towards political clowning
In modern political games, those candidates who build their campaigns on primitive slogans and simplified action algorithms win.
This new trend was clearly followed in the Ukrainian election race by Vladimir Zelensky, imposing on his opponent Petro Poroshenko a discourse in which he easily wins, without even coming to the debate, which, by the way, is disadvantageous for both of them.
Ukrainian political scientist Sergei Belashko stated this during a press conference, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“There is a decline in demand for meaningful discussion on political issues. We saw the Trump campaign, Macron, the presidential elections in Honduras, the campaign in Venezuela, the elections in Kenya. It all comes down to some fairly simple messages. This cannot even be interpreted as a complete message. How are these advertising messages formed? There are no messages as such, there are only headings. “Think” - and then everyone who is generally ready, in principle, to support this candidate, begins to think why he is worth supporting. Or “Zminyuy” - everyone who, in principle, is ready to support this candidate, begins to think: “What should we change” - and in fact, in this way they themselves imagine the agenda that these candidates supposedly carry. But these candidates do not have any content, they do not have an agenda, they have a desire to seize power, to convert this power into property.
I think that these candidates do not need debates, but for some reason Poroshenko’s advisers convinced him that he needed these debates. Therefore, the situation is so paradoxical.
Second point. The debate, if you look at what it is, this debate is going on. And when Poroshenko was in the “1+1” studio, and Zelensky joined there via Skype, it was a debate. And, in fact, they voiced key provisions that have already become memes. “Stadium, so stadium” is already a meme. “Analysis, so analysis”, “period, so full stop” on the one hand. And on the other hand, this phrase from Zelensky that: “My time will end in 5 years, and yours on April 22” - that is, these are the main theses that Zelensky voiced at this debate. The main thesis has been announced.
What is the main problem for Poroshenko, why did Poroshenko lose this debate? It doesn't matter if they actually meet. Well, we’ll meet in the same studio. Zelensky will tell him the same thing: “My time will end in 5 years, and yours in 3 days” and will continue to ask questions: “What do you think of Svinarchuk?”, “How much taxes were paid from the sale of Leninskaya Kuznitsa?”, “ What about the Panama Papers?”, “How long have you been at your estate in Marbella, who runs it?” – and so on, and so on, these questions can be asked and asked, and Zelensky has a very good command of the form, the conversational genre,” he said.
The expert also explained why Yulia Tymoshenko lost ground and faded into the background.
“This carnivalization is not just some shocking form, it is the essence of this campaign, the essence of a victorious campaign. Zelensky managed to impose his own discourse on Poroshenko. Why did Yulia Tymoshenko fall into disarray? Because she merged into this “Armovir” channel, that is, when she started repeating about Tomos, she pulled out this old hardened KGB officer, Mikhail Antonovich.
The same story with Vilkul and Boyko. Why did Boyko defeat Vilkul in the blue-white electorate? Because Boyko imposed his discourse. Same Lyashko, he just got lost. In the last election cycle, he was the most trump card with this outrageousness and many young people voted for him, including urban youth who have nothing to do with the village, cows, land, pitchforks, and so on. For them it was such a stop. And now they have all gone to Zelensky,” summed up Sergei Belashko.
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