Kovalov: New parliament may see majority from parties of military leaders

Speculations on the composition of the future parliament

Andriy Kovalov, spokesperson for the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, shared his vision of Ukraine's political future on Facebook. According to him, the Verkhovna Rada of the tenth convocation may see the formation of a majority represented by political forces closely linked to military leaders.

Who might enter the potential coalition

Kovalov outlined a list of figures who, in his opinion, could form the core of such an alliance. These include:

• the party of former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi;
• Kyrylo Budanov's political force;
• the structure of Third Army Corps commander Andriy Biletskyi;
• the party of Azov commander Denys Prokopenko;
• Oleksii Seredyuk's "Christian Corps".

Sociological data as an indicator of change

Arguing his thesis, Kovalov referred to the results of studies conducted by several well-known centres: KMIS, SOCIS, Info Sapiens, the Future Research Foundation, Sociopolis, and Active Group. In his assessment, the dynamics of polls over the last three months indicate a growing level of public trust in military commanders.

In the context of parliamentary elections, potential political projects by Zaluzhnyi and Budanov are receiving particularly noticeable support. At the same time, the General Staff spokesperson acknowledges that the level of public trust and electoral rating are not identical indicators.

The role of the military in post-war recovery

Andriy Kovalov assesses the prospect of broad military representation in the legislative body as positive. In his view, those who are currently defending Ukraine could play a significant role in rebuilding the state after the end of hostilities.

«Широка представленість військових у парламенті – це позитивна тенденція, оскільки відновленням України після війни, швидше за все, займуться саме ті, хто сьогодні щоденно ризикує заради неї своїм життям і здоров’ям» (Broad representation of the military in parliament is a positive trend, as the recovery of Ukraine after the war will most likely be undertaken by those who today daily risk their lives and health for it), Kovalov noted.

He additionally suggested that active participation of the military in political life could help overcome corruption and nepotism.