FROM INTEGRATION TO MOBILISATION: THE EVOLUTION OF POPULISM IN THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS OF UKRAINE (1991-2004)


DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/2415-881x.2025.95.140-150

Roman Kulish

Abstract


The article examines the evolution of populism in the electoral platforms used during presidential election campaigns in Ukraine between 1991 and 2004. It finds that populism remained consistent in intensity but varied in form, serving as a flexible tool of communication that adapted to the political context of each electoral cycle. The analysis shows that: in 1991, populism was employed spontaneously as a means of social integration; in 1994, it shifted towards paranoid mobilisation amid political instability and uncertainty; in 1999, populist strategies took on a distinctly antagonistic tone; and by 2004, the rhetoric had softened, approaching a technocratic style.
The study demonstrates that the transformation and development of populism were closely linked to the evolution of the presidency in Ukraine, which, due to its Soviet political legacy, remained a sacralised symbol of unity and hope. It argues that populism not only reflected the electorate’s expectations but also served as a mechanism for adapting candidates to the post-Soviet notion of power as personalised, omnipotent, and detached from institutional politics.


Keywords


populism; political communication; election campaigns; election programs; Ukraine; presidential elections; institutionalisation of power

References


Laclau, E. (2005). On populist reason. Verso, 288 p.

Taggart, P. (2000). Populism. Open University Press, 128 p.

Mudde, C. (2004). The populist zeitgeist. Government and Opposition, 39(4), 541–563. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1477-7053.2004.00135.x

Canovan, M. (1999). Trust the people! Populism and the two faces of democracy. Political Studies, 47(1), 2–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9248.00184

Rosanvallon, P. (2007). The demands of liberty: Civil society in France since the Revolution (A. Goldhammer, Trans.). Harvard University Press, 354 p.

Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation. (2015). Yale University Press, 453 p.

Kuzio, T. (1998). Ukraine: State and nation building. Routledge, 313 p.

D’Anieri, P. (2007). Understanding Ukrainian politics: Power, politics and institutional design. M.E. Sharpe, 297 p.

Riaets, M. M. (Ed.). (1999). Presidential elections of Ukraine 1999: Information and analytical publication. Central Election Commission, 396 p [in Ukrainian].

Davydivych, Y. V. (Chief Ed.), Stavniichuk, M. I., & Melnyk, M. I. (Eds.). (2005). Presidential elections of Ukraine 2004: Electoral statistics: Information and analytical publication. Central Election Commission, 600 p [in Ukrainian].


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

The editorial board does not always share the position of the authors. The authors are responsible for the accuracy of the material presented.
All rights reserved.
© Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, 2026