Zelenskiy says wartime election would split and destroy Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said holding elections during Russia’s war against Ukraine would divide the country and undermine national unity.
Kyiv, Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said holding an election while Ukraine is fighting Russia would “destroy” the country by splitting Ukrainians.
His comments, released to reporters on Sunday, were his first on the issue since ousted former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called for a wartime poll last week.
Election call
Fedorov’s surprise dismissal last month triggered widespread protests. Supporters seeking his reinstatement later objected to his call for an election.
It was the first such demand by a major Ukrainian political figure since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
“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
Ukrainian law prohibits elections during wartime. Analysts have also cited security concerns and the difficulty of including millions of Ukrainians abroad, under Russian occupation or serving on the front line.
Zelenskiy’s approval rating has remained generally stable at about 60%, while pollsters have said Ukrainians want new political figures but have limited appetite for voting during the war.
A Kyiv International Institute of Sociology poll published on August 5 found that 57% of Ukrainians wanted elections only after the fighting ends.
Security guarantees
Zelenskiy said a wartime election could be possible if Kyiv’s partners guaranteed security, but added that no such plan had been proposed.
“Elections right now are a tsunami for the state, which will split Ukraine,” he said.
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