On April 21st, 2019, Volodymyr Zelensky was elected as the President of Ukraine, defeating the incumbent president, Petro Poroshenko, with a vote share of 73% to 24%. For many outside Ukraine, the result came as a surprise as Zelensky was an outsider with no political experience prior to his election. In fact, before taking on his role as President, Zelensky was a well known actor and Comedian, starring in the popular TV show Servant of the People where he played the role of a high school teacher who unexpectedly wins the presidential election. 

Three months later, Zelensky received a further show of support from the people during the Parliamentary elections when his political party, also named Servant of the People, won 248 out of a possible 450 seats. This created a majority government and provided new impetus for Zelensky to move forward with his political objectives. Amongst other goals, his government hopes to begin the process of joining the European Union and NATO, as well as implement reforms for the judicial system. However, in the aftermath of the election, it is also clear that Ukraine faces a multitude of problems: First, despite experiencing an economic recovery since the 2008 and 2015 recessions, Ukraine remains one of the poorest states in Europe and maintains a high unemployment rate. Second, Ukraine continues to suffer rampant corruption, which has led to crippled infrastructure and delays in the provision of vital services. Finally, Ukraine has continued to suffer from the loss of Crimea and the ongoing conflict in the Donbass region. Thus, in order to overcome these challenges, President Zelensky and his Cabinet must collaborate to pass comprehensive policies that will change the fortunes of the entire country.

Email: zelensky@mcmun.org

Chair

Wing Wong

Crisis Director

Rachel Kalmanovich

Vice-Chair

Vlady Guttenberg

Assistant Crisis Director

Michael Black