Zelenskyy opposes elections during Russia war, says vote could split Ukraine

Ukraine has not held national elections since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Martial law was imposed after the invasion, and Ukrainian law bars national elections while it remains in force. The restrictions have meant that both presidential and parliamentary elections have been postponed. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's five-year presidential term formally ended in May 2024, but he has continued in office under the wartime legal framework.

The debate over elections resurfaced after former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for a presidential election during the war last week. He said that Ukraine should find a way to keep its democratic process going despite the fighting. Now, Zelenskyy has rejected the idea, warning that holding a vote under current conditions could deepen divisions and ultimately "destroy" the country.

"Elections right now are a tsunami for the state, which will split Ukraine," he said. Zelenskyy said a wartime election could only be considered if Ukraine's partners provided firm security guarantees, but said no such plan had been proposed.

Zelenskyy made the comments on Sunday, his first public response since former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for elections.

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

Holding a vote would also present major logistical challenges. Millions of Ukrainians are displaced or living abroad, while soldiers are deployed along the front and some parts of the country are under Russian occupation.

PUBLIC OPINION FAVOURS POST-WAR VOTE

Zelenskyy's approval rating remains around 60 per cent, according to pollsters, but public support for holding an election during the conflict appears limited. An August 5 survey by the Kyiv Institute of Sociology found that 57 per cent of Ukrainians wanted elections only after the fighting had ended.

The debate intensified after Fedorov, a former Zelenskyy ally, called for a wartime election in a video address last week.

"Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia," Fedorov said. "We must find a legal, safe and realistic mechanism that will allow Ukraine to renew its full democratic process even in the conditions of a long war."

Fedorov was unexpectedly removed as defence minister in July, only months after taking the post. His dismissal was followed by open criticism of Ukraine's military leadership and protests calling for his reinstatement. He later accused the country's political system of suffering from a "systemic crisis of governance" and criticised corruption without naming specific officials.

Fedorov has not said whether he would run in a future presidential election.

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With inputs from Reuters