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If Russia had not launched its invasion in February 2022, Ukraine should have held parliamentary elections in October this year and presidential elections in March 2024. A schedule that is now largely being questioned in the country.
Published on June 11, 2023 9:53 p.m
Reading time: 1 min
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is present in Brussels, Belgium, Wednesday, October 11, 2023. (ERIC LALMAND / BELGA MAG / AFP)
No voting in wartime. “This is not the time for elections” in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday, November 6, in the middle of a debate among the country’s leaders on the possible holding of presidential elections scheduled for 2024.
“We must decide that this is the time of defense, of struggle on which the fate of the state and the people depends, and not of the farce that only Russia expects from Ukraine. I think this is not the case.” “It is not the time for elections,” he said in his daily address.
The presidential election was originally scheduled for 2024
“We must come together, not divide ourselves, not be distracted by arguments or other priorities,” he continued. If Russia had not launched its invasion in February 2022, Ukraine’s parliamentary elections should have taken place in October of that year and the presidential elections in March 2024.
But given the current situation, Kiev has repeatedly faced a dilemma: its Western allies are pushing Ukraine to hold democratic elections, even though almost 20% of its territory is occupied by Russia and millions of Ukrainians are fleeing 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,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy explained on Monday evening.
“We all understand that today, in times of war, when there are numerous challenges, it is absolutely irresponsible to introduce the topic of elections into society in a casual and cheerful way,” the Ukrainian president further emphasized. This announcement comes amid a debate in the country about the possibility of holding elections in wartime.
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