According to The Kyiv Independent, on the 23rd, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky turned down a call from former Defense Minister Andrii Fedorov to hold elections during wartime, warning that doing so might tear the country apart.
Speaking to the media that day, Zelensky said that holding elections during wartime would be “destroying the nation.” He added, “Holding elections right now would be a tsunami for the country—it would split Ukraine apart. My strategy is to guide the nation through the end of the war while preserving an independent and sovereign state.”
Fedorov was dismissed by Zelensky back in July, and soon after, protests broke out in several Ukrainian cities demanding his reinstatement. On August 18, Fedorov released a video message urging Ukraine to hold wartime elections, claiming the country is facing a governance crisis. Many see this as a direct challenge to Zelensky’s authority.
On the 23rd, Zelensky responded by acknowledging that Ukraine has come under pressure from various sides to hold elections during the war. However, he emphasized that no partner has come forward with a concrete plan that would allow voting to take place under safe, legal, and democratic conditions.
He stressed that any election would have to allow military personnel, residents in frontline areas, and millions of Ukrainians living abroad to cast their votes, all while ensuring voters are protected from Russian attacks.
Zelensky was elected and inaugurated as president in 2019, with his five-year term set to end in May 2024. The presidential election was originally scheduled for March 2024, but after the full-scale escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022, current Ukrainian law prohibits holding elections under martial law.
