Ukrainians name Poroshenko 'Politician of the Year,' visa-free regime 'Event of the Year'

Ukrainians have named Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko the 2017 Politician of the Year and said introducing visa-free travel to European Union member states is the 2017 Event of the Year, according to results of a survey conducted by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation.

Some 10% of those polled named Poroshenko the 2017 Politician of the Year. He was followed by former Georgian President and leader of the Movement of New Forces Party Mikheil Saakashvili – 6.4%, Batkivschyna Party leader Yulia Tymoshenko – 5.3%, Radical Party leader Oleh Liashko – 4.9% and Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman.

Some 26.1% of those surveyed said introduction of a visa-free regime with the European Union was the 2017 Political Event of the Year, followed by the so-called "Saakashvili case" – 9.6%, the war in eastern Ukraine – 9.1% and the pension reform – 6%.

Donald Trump's election as U.S. president topped the 2017 International Event of the Year category – 16.7%, followed by the war in Syria – 7.6%. Some 25.5% of respondents had difficulty answering the question.

The poll was carried out together with the Razumkov Center from December 15 to December 19, 2017 in all regions of Ukraine, except Russia-occupied Crimea and occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Some 2,004 persons over the age of 18 took part. The theoretical margin of error is estimated not to exceed 2.3%.