In Ukraine, amid ongoing peace discussions, the issue of staffing changes at the President’s Office has taken a back seat. Much attention centers on who will become the new Head after Andriy Yermak’s resignation. President Volodymyr Zelensky is in no hurry to make an appointment and is considering various candidates.
Potential candidates include Kyrylo Budanov, Serhiy Kyslytsia, Denys Shmyhal, and Mykhailo Fedorov. Each prospective appointment brings new staffing questions, such as who would fill their current roles if they move to the President’s Office.
Experts suggest that Zelensky is consciously delaying the appointment for several reasons: uncertainty in choosing the right candidate, the perceived toxicity of the position after Yermak, and the reluctance of candidates to assume a role associated with negativity.
Mykhailo Fedorov is seen as a frontrunner, but he reportedly set conditions for reforms and changes to the president’s administrative model, which Zelensky may be hesitant to accept. Other candidates, like Budanov, also seem reluctant due to potential loss of influence in their current positions.
The situation is compounded by a lack of coherence among state institutions in the new environment without Yermak. For the first time, Zelensky and other government bodies must adapt to working without his influence. The system now relies on increased self-organization.
In conclusion, the appointment of a new Head of the President’s Office remains unresolved: each option has pros and cons, and the management style established under Yermak no longer suits the new political realities.
