Zelensky: Elections During the War Would Be a “Tsunami” That Splits Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that holding elections in the country during wartime is impossible and dangerous, warning that it could risk splitting the state. According to him, elections could only take place if specific security conditions were met — conditions that none of Ukraine’s partners have yet proposed.

“If our partners put forward specific conditions under which elections in Ukraine could be held safely, legitimately and democratically — allowing soldiers at the front and the millions of citizens who fled abroad because of the war to take part — then we will discuss it,” Zelensky said. He added that any vote would need to take place without strikes or shelling.

A Year Ago, Ukraine Was Being Pushed Toward Elections

Zelensky noted that a year ago, various partners had been urging Ukraine to hold elections as soon as possible. At the time, he said, none of the country’s Western allies offered any concrete conditions that would guarantee the safety of the vote.

Zelensky stressed that until Russian President Vladimir Putin agrees to a ceasefire, organizing elections in Ukraine will remain impossible.

“A Tsunami That Would Split the Country”

“I am convinced that holding elections during the war would be an enormous risk. Elections would be a tsunami for the state — one that would split Ukraine apart. That’s why my strategy is to bring the country to peace and preserve an independent, sovereign state. That is exactly what I am doing,” Zelensky added.

The topic of elections resurfaced recently after former Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov left his post. This followed the resignation of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and her entire cabinet. Fedorov was not included in the new government led by Prime Minister Serhiy Marchenko (originally reported as Koretsky), and Zelensky has proposed that parliament approve Yevhen Khmara as the new head of the defense ministry.

Source: novinky.cz