Zelenskyy responds to elections possibility during the war in Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (photo: president.gov.ua)
Conducting elections is prohibited according to the legislation. However, the Ukrainian parliament can change the legislation if the United States and Europe agree to fulfill several conditions," says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his interview with journalist Natalia Moseichuk.
Recently, United States Senator Lindsey Graham from the Republican Party stated that elections should be held in Ukraine despite the imposition of martial law due to Russia's large-scale invasion.
The President of Ukraine responded to how he feels about elections in Ukraine during a full-scale war.
"Conducting elections is prohibited according to the legislation. And Lindsey, we met with her and talked. Several elements can fracture US support. One of them is elections. There were voices in the Republican Party, and then the American press supported it, that even during a war, the US held elections. The logic is that if you're defending democracy, then during the war, you should think about defending it, and elections are one element of that defense. But according to the law (people didn't do it for no reason), elections are prohibited. It's challenging to conduct them," the President said.
He emphasized that Ukrainian parliamentarians could amend the legislation and the electoral code to make elections possible, but only if the United States and European partners fulfill several conditions.
"I said, if you are ready to give me 5 billion because I'm not someone who lays pavement, and I can't just take 5 billion from the budget. I think that's the amount needed for elections in normal times, but during a war - I don't know what that amount is. I won't conduct elections on credit, and I won't take money from defense and allocate it for elections," Zelenskyy explained.
In addition to financial support, according to the President, the United States and Europe must ensure transparency in the elections, including sending their observers to Ukraine, including to the front line.
"But most importantly, let's take risks together then. Observers should be in the trenches. I told her that we need to send observers to the front line so that our elections are legitimate for the whole world. That's absolutely fair," he said.
The President also noted that he doesn't want to speculate about life without elections for 3, 5, or 7 years.
"I don't want there to be an attitude towards those in power as if they're clinging to it. I'm not clinging to anything. I would like to hold elections. I like doing it when we need to, throughout the year," concluded the head of state.
Election in Ukraine
The upcoming elections in Ukraine include parliamentary elections scheduled for October 29, 2023. However, in the current conditions of war, such elections are prohibited by law.
Furthermore, in 2024, presidential elections are also scheduled in Ukraine, planned for the end of March.
Previously, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, stated that parliamentary elections should only be held after the end of the war.
The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, also emphasized that conducting elections during the war in Ukraine is impossible because the military personnel wouldn't be able to vote.
