“This is not the time for elections” in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday, in the middle of a debate among the country’s leaders on the possible holding of the presidential election scheduled for 2024.
“We must decide that this is the time for defense, for battle, on which the fate of the state and the people depends, and not for farce, which only Russia expects from Ukraine. I think this is not the time for elections,” he said in his daily address.
“We must come together, not divide ourselves, not disperse ourselves in quarrels or other priorities,” he further urged.
If Russia had not launched its invasion in February 2022, the legislative elections should have taken place in Ukraine in October of this year and the presidential election in March 2024.
But faced with the current situation, Kiev has already repeatedly found itself faced with a dilemma, its Western allies pressing Ukraine to organize democratic elections even though nearly 20% of its territory is occupied by Russia and millions Ukrainians are refugees abroad.
Another major obstacle: the law would have to be modified to allow the organization of ballots under martial law, currently in force.
“There is no room for conflicts,” Volodymyr Zelensky justified Monday evening.
“We all understand that today, in times of war, when the challenges are numerous, it is absolutely irresponsible to introduce the subject of elections in society in a light and cheerful way,” the Ukrainian president further supported.
This announcement comes in the midst of a debate in the country on the possibility of organizing elections in times of war.
“The Ukrainian president is studying and weighing the pros and cons,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba declared last Friday, stressing that the elections would pose unprecedented challenges for the authorities.