Volodymyr Zelensky closes the door on possible elections in 2024
“Now is not the time for elections”: On Monday, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky closed the door to a presidential election in the country, seeking to end a growing debate among leaders after more than a year and a half of Russian invasion. “Now is the time for defense, for struggle, on which the fate of the state and the people depends, and not for the farce that only Russia expects from Ukraine. I think this is not the time for elections,” he said in his daily speech.
“We must come together, not divide, not be distracted by arguments or other priorities,” he continued. On Friday, his Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba again stated that the Ukrainian President “pes[ait] “Pros and Cons” on this topic. Had Russia not launched its invasion in February 2022, Ukraine’s parliamentary elections should have taken place in October of that year; and the presidential election in March 2024.
However, the current situation poses a dilemma for Kiev: its Western allies, particularly the United States, are pushing Ukraine to hold democratic elections even though almost 20% of its territory is occupied by Russia and millions of Ukrainians are refugees abroad. Another major obstacle: the law would have to be changed to allow voting to be organized under the current martial law.
“There is no room for conflict,” concluded Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday evening, who advocates for the “unity” of his people every day. “We all understand that today, in times of war, when challenges are numerous, it is absolutely irresponsible to introduce the topic of elections into society in a casual and cheerful way,” the Ukrainian president said.