Ukraine's electoral dilemma: Zelensky warns against wartime vote
- We all would like the war to end so that we can hold presidential elections, - said Volodymyr Zelensky. In an interview with Ukrainska Pravda, he emphasized why they cannot be held earlier. - If martial law is suspended, we will lose the army, - he argued.
In the media and political space, questions are resurfacing about when presidential elections will take place in Ukraine. Zelensky's term officially concludes on May 20, 2024. However, it's been repeatedly emphasized that neither Ukrainian society nor the government itself wishes to hold elections during the ongoing war.
Last week, a special envoy of former President Donald Trump for Ukraine and Russia, retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, suggested that the USA wants Ukraine to hold elections by the end of the year. The condition is a prior ceasefire with Russia.
These statements were harshly criticized by the Ukrainian president’s advisor on communication, Dmitry Litvin, as well as the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova.
In a recent interview with Ukrainska Pravda, Volodymyr Zelensky himself addressed this topic. He emphasized that if martial law is suspended before the end of the war to conduct elections, Ukraine will lose its army, and the Russians will exploit it.
- We all would like the war to end and for us to conduct elections. However, during the war, our compatriots oppose elections because everyone understands what will happen, - he said.
The Ukrainian leader noted that to organize and conduct presidential elections, martial law must first be lifted or suspended. And that is what Putin and the Kremlin are waiting for. In such circumstances, soldiers would return from the front, mobilization would cease, and "people would lose the morale to continue fighting."
- If we suspend martial law, we will lose the army, and we will also lose morale. Essentially, the Russians will be pleased. People will return home and will have every right to do so. And Russia will certainly use it for counter-offensive actions, - Zelensky emphasized.
He once again mentioned the difficulties associated with voting in occupied territories, as well as the millions of Ukrainians forced to remain abroad.
- You will see, if elections are held and those people who cannot vote abroad or in temporarily occupied territories, then Russia will say: "We do not believe in these elections." Although I am not interested in their opinion, they will say: "These elections were illegal." - How can people vote fairly in temporarily occupied territories controlled by Russians? It will be more or less the same referendum as in Crimea - under the threat of arms. This is what the Russians want; this would be the cause of total destabilization in Ukraine. That's why I would be very cautious on this matter, - emphasized the Ukrainian leader.
Source: Ukrainska Pravda/OSW/WP
