Can Ukraine hold elections in May? Official's explanation
Photo: Fedir Venislavskyi (Getty Images)
Holding presidential elections in Ukraine by May this year, as requested by the United States, is impossible. This was stated in an interview by Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence, and a deputy from the Servant of the People faction.
"I consider it extremely unlikely that elections could be held in May. As of today, there is no law, or even a draft law precisely agreed upon in the working group, that could be considered in parliament regarding the specifics of holding such elections. If it appears, it will certainly not be earlier than March," Venislavskyi said.
According to him, parliamentary procedures are required to review a draft law, which will take several more weeks. Accordingly, if the law does not come into effect by mid or late March, at least 90 days are still needed to actually hold the elections.
"That is, holding elections in May while following all procedures is extremely unlikely," the deputy summarized.
At the same time, Venislavskyi considers it possible to hold presidential elections simultaneously with a referendum if certain legislative changes are introduced.
"If we evaluate the Ukrainian law on a nationwide referendum, the Electoral Code currently prohibits holding elections and a referendum at the same time due to certain risks and other issues. But from a legal point of view, if there is political agreement among all parliamentary forces to amend these norms, it is technically possible to change both the Electoral Code and the law on the referendum," he said.
According to the deputy, this is not a very lengthy procedure — it can be done within a month.
"And then, hypothetically, it would be possible to hold both elections and a referendum. But I want to emphasize again that the referendum, which is called by the Verkhovna Rada, can only address issues related to changes in the territory of Ukraine under Article 73 of the Constitution," he added.
Rumors about elections in Ukraine in May
Recently, Financial Times reported that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could announce the date for elections and a referendum under a U.S. peace plan on February 24 — the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
According to the publication, the United States allegedly demands that elections and the referendum take place in Ukraine by May 15.
At the same time, a source close to the Ukrainian president told RBC-Ukraine that security conditions are required before any election date can be announced.
Zelenskyy himself said that February 24 is a special date for Ukraine. Announcing elections on the anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion would be a foolish idea.
