Zelenskiy: Wartime Election Would ‘Destroy’ Ukraine Amid Conflict

Zelenskiy Warns Wartime Election Could Destroy Ukraine Amid Conflict

Debate Over Wartime Elections in Ukraine

By Max Hunder and Dan Peleschuk

Zelenskiy’s Stance on Elections During War

KYIV, Aug 23 (Reuters) – Holding a wartime election in Ukraine while active fighting with Russia continues would “destroy” the country by splitting Ukrainians, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

His comments, released to reporters on Sunday, were Zelenskiy’s first on the subject since ousted former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for a wartime poll in a bombshell address last week.

Political Fallout from Fedorov’s Dismissal

Fedorov’s surprise dismissal last month sparked widespread protests, but supporters calling for his reinstatement later baulked at his call for an election – the first such demand by a major Ukrainian political figure since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

Zelenskiy’s Warning

“I believe that if we want to destroy the country, then we can move towards elections during this kind of war,” Zelenskiy said.

Legal and Security Concerns

Elections in war are prohibited by Ukrainian law. Analysts also say security concerns and the millions of Ukrainians abroad, under Russian occupation or fighting at the front mean it would be too difficult to hold an election.

Public Opinion and Polling Data

ELECTIONS WOULD SPLIT UKRAINE, PRESIDENT SAYS

Zelenskiy’s approval rating has remained generally stable at about 60%, but pollsters have said that while Ukrainians want fresh faces in politics, many have little appetite for voting now.

An August 5 poll by the ​Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that 57% of Ukrainians want elections only after fighting ends.

International Support and Future Prospects

Echoing his previous comments on the matter, Zelenskiy said a wartime election might be possible if Kyiv’s partners could guarantee security, but that no one has proposed such a plan.

“Elections right now are a tsunami for the state, which will split Ukraine,” he said.

“That’s why my strategy is to steer the country toward an ending of the war and to preserve an independent and sovereign state.”

Potential Candidates and Political Landscape

Fedorov, a longtime Zelenskiy ally who has been seen as a top political challenger, did not explicitly say whether he would stand in any future election.

(Reporting by Max Hunder and Dan Peleschuk;Editing by Helen Popper)