Poll, conducted during elections, won't have direct legal consequences – President's Office
The initiative by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi to conduct a poll during the October 25 local elections will not have direct legal consequences, the President's Office has said in a statement published on the website of the head of state.
"We emphasize that the poll proposed to be held on October 25, unlike the referendum, as defined by the Constitution, will not have direct legal consequences. The need for this form of direct democracy is due to the fact that the content of policy in the state should be determined by the people, rather than only those who have enough media influence and money to manipulate the impression of public opinion in their personal interests," the statement reads.
The President's Office said that not only referendums can be used as a means of the direct influence of citizens on the content of public policy and added that the poll is another tool.
According to the report, a nationwide poll proposed by the president will give every citizen the opportunity to express what is really important for the Ukrainian society, so that public opinion could be expressed at the state level "without being adjusted by various biased 'experts' and politicians with more than 20 years of experience in manipulating people's expectations."
According to the President's Office, the poll assumes that the state asks direct questions to society and receives direct answers without any intermediaries.
"On October 25, we will learn what people really think. We will also ask questions that no one has ever wanted to put directly to citizens in our country," the President's Office added.
Source: Censor