War makes holding elections in Ukraine impossible - Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The war has made it impossible to hold elections in Ukraine, although President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready to hold them. At the same time, he "can't imagine leaving his post," the Ukrainian President says in an interview with the Associated Press.
The war has made it impossible to hold the presidential election in Ukraine, originally scheduled for March according to the Constitution.
In turn, Zelenskyy says he was ready to hold the election, although most Ukrainians are against it, as they consider such a vote "dangerous and meaningless" as the war continues around them.
The newspaper notes that with a budget that calls for spending 22% of the country's GDP on defense and national security, "the Ukrainian economy is being rebuilt around a war that has no end in sight, just like the daily lives of its citizens."
Speaking about his presidency, Zelenskyy says that "there are no words to describe how difficult the job is," but he also "can't imagine leaving his post."
"You honestly can’t do that,” he said. “This would be very unfair, wrong and definitely demotivating," he states.
Elections in Ukraine
In 2023, Ukraine was to hold parliamentary elections. They were scheduled for October 29, but the full-scale invasion of Russia and the imposition of martial law in Ukraine in this regard make them impossible. In addition, presidential elections are due in 2024. They are scheduled for spring.
