Ukraine's Ex-Defense Minister Urges Country to Find a Way to Hold Elections During Wartime

Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has said the country needs to find a legal, safe and realistic mechanism to restore a full-fledged democratic process even while the war continues. According to him, Russia should not be the one to decide when Ukrainians can once again choose their representatives, the outlet Ukrainska Pravda reports.

"This is difficult. We need to guarantee voting rights for servicemen, for the millions of Ukrainians abroad, and for people in border regions. We need to guarantee the security of the electoral process, the independence of institutions, and trust in the outcome," Fedorov said. He added that "difficult does not mean impossible," noting that Ukraine has repeatedly proven capable of achieving what the world once considered impossible. However, the politician did not offer a concrete solution to the problem.

The Constitution and Martial Law

Ukraine has been under martial law since February 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion. Under the country's constitution, holding elections during martial law is not possible. Russia has repeatedly used this fact to cast doubt on the legitimacy of President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was democratically elected by Ukrainians in 2019.

Resignation and Conflict with Military Leadership

Fedorov served as Ukraine's defense minister from January to July of this year, before being dismissed by Zelensky as part of a government reshuffle. The politician remains highly popular in the country, and street rallies in his support have taken place on several occasions.

His resignation stemmed from a conflict with then-Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, who was later succeeded by Mykhailo Drapatyi. Zelensky subsequently offered Fedorov several other posts, but the ex-minister turned them all down, saying none of them granted him real authority to fight corruption, complete the army reform, or bring Ukraine closer to victory in the war against Russia.

Fedorov made his statement on the same day that Zelensky submitted to parliament the candidacy of intelligence chief Yevhen Khmara for the post of defense minister — Khmara had been temporarily heading the ministry earlier this month. A parliamentary vote on the nomination is expected on Wednesday.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz