Zelenskyy's office responds to Financial Times report on elections and referendum
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (photo: president.gov.ua)
The President's Office responded to a Financial Times report claiming Ukraine could announce elections and a referendum on February 24. Security situation remains key condition, a source in Ukraine President's Office told RBC-Ukraine.
"As long as there is no security, there will be no announcements (about elections – ed.)," a source briefly told a publication, commenting on a Financial Times report.
What FT wrote about the elections and the referendum in Ukraine
Financial Times, citing Ukrainian and Western officials as well as people familiar with the situation, wrote that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may announce in February the holding of elections and a referendum on a peace agreement.
According to the report, Kyiv began planning presidential elections and a referendum on the peace agreement with Russia after pressure from the United States.
According to publication sources, Zelenskyy allegedly intends to announce this on February 24, on the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.
The article claims that the administration of US President Donald Trump demanded that Ukraine hold both votes by May 15, threatening otherwise to deprive Ukraine of security guarantees.
Preparation for elections in Ukraine
After Trump's statements about the necessity of elections, Zelenskyy said they could be held 60–90 days after ensuring security and introducing changes to legislation.
Among the main challenges are the security of voters, participation of military personnel, voting of Ukrainians abroad, and accounting of internally displaced persons.
Holding elections in Ukraine is also included in the 20-point peace plan.
Ukraine is already working on a mechanism for voting during war or after its end. Speaker of Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk said the special law will be one-time and must guarantee the safety and democratic nature of the process.
A working group has been created for preparation and has already held two meetings. No concrete decisions have yet been made. The Central Election Commission previously prepared its proposals as well.
The Commission also restored the State Voter Register: currently it includes about 33 million people, of whom 5–7.5 million are abroad, and more than 1.4 million have no official registration.
In the Servant of People faction, the end of February was named as an internal benchmark for the preparation of the draft law. Zelenskyy himself уточнив that the timeline depends on negotiations.
