The Institution of Presidency in Ukraine plays a decisive role in the field of socio-political relations, since according to the existing tradition, the guarantor of the Constitution and the political forces that support it shall be decisive on the formation and implementation of the Strategic Course of the State.However, it is obviously observed inadequacy management, the mismatch of the quality of the nature of the tasks facing the country.Supreme bodies of the power at the institutional level have actually changed the entire period of independence, being outside the system of political responsibility.
Legitimization of power is a kind of political process aimed at establishing power, gaining public support. At the same time, the legitimization of power is an organic component of the political process as a whole, as the government is able to pursue effective policies only through broad support and approval of citizens.
In the context of (de) legitimization of the head of state, the electoral process is very important, when candidates for the highest position in the state have the opportunity to compete and carry out a set of actions to promote themselves and, conversely, to discredit their opponents.This process involves a set of technological techniques and measures and often depends on the financial capacity of the candidates, the skills and abilities of the members of the team and the election headquarters, the political conjuncture, etc.
Legitimization of presidential power also occurs by identifying the subjects of socio-political relations on ideological, political or socio-cultural grounds, the favorable attitude of citizens to the vector of social development, which is proposed by the head of state or candidate in the performance of their duties or elections. All of these things require appropriate institutionalization and is formalized during the development of the strategic course of the state, in regulations governing the formation and operation of higher and central authorities, in laws on elections, on political parties, their programs and statutes, election programs of candidates,lawsuits, etc.
Scientific analysis and solution of the research tasks set in the introduction allowed forming a number of conclusions of theoretical-methodological and practical-political content.In particular, the high level of personification of Ukrainian politics makes it logical to conclude that the person of the head of state actually embodies the institution of the presidency.The beginning of active use of the delegitimization technologies in the election of the President of Ukraine dates back to the late 1990s, which is associated with the intensification of political struggle, development of market relations, entry into the political arena of regional political elites, the formation of financial and industrial groups and clans, which through the party representation, deputies, support for «their» president, etc. tried to protect corporate interests or increase their own wealth.
The application of the delegiatimization technologies of the Institute of President of Ukraine in the elections 2010, 2014 and 2019 do not fit into a single paradigm and has many common denominators, since elections were held for excellent socio-political conditions and circumstances,where the factor of Russian aggression and occupation of the part of the Ukrainian territory became determining .At the same time, in contrast to the 1999 and 2004 elections, these elections were generally characterized by a decrease in the use of administrative resources, falsifications, «dirty» technologies, etc., while expanding the use of IT technologies, virtual communication space, etc.
The scale of the figure and the institution of the presidency in Ukraine determine the forms and content of the technologies of their delegitimization by the counter-elite.Technological methods, means, content and directions of delegitimization of the President of Ukraine in extra-electoral processes are largely identical to those used during election campaigns, except for those that directly affect the results of vote counting, including falsification, manipulation of ballots, election documents etc.
The scale of campaigns aimed at undermining the authority of the head of state, his discrediting in the eyes of the public; determine the «degree» of struggle between political groups, the level of unity of the opposition, the factor of international intervention, etc.Significantly that such campaign is gaining momentum a year or two before the next presidential election. Sometimes the scale of anti-presidential speeches, its technological component is due to ill-considered and short-sighted actions and deeds of the president and his inner circle.The most extensive protests against the presidential candidate and the current head of state were the events of the Orange Revolution and the Revolution of Dignity, which put an end to Yanukovych's presidential ambitions.
