On October 6th, The New York Sun posted an article about elections in Ukraine. There is currently a discussion as to whether or not elections can be held under Marshall Law.
The article reports:
Is it possible to hold a free and fair election in a country where bombs disrupt every other aspect of life? President Zelensky and Ukraine’s Western allies say yes. Opposition and electoral figures at Kyiv are less sure.
Mr. Zelensky, who has united the country and is currently likely to win an election by a landslide, says the country is ready to hold a vote under martial law. Election and parliamentary officials disagree, saying that the election should be postponed until after the war and that even this exercise would present significant challenges.
The only ones who want elections today are the president and those people now in government, a member of Ukraine’s parliament, Dmytro Razumkov, tells the Sun. “When we talk to the opposition, we all agree that it is going to be impossible to have fair and democratic elections,” he adds.
Ukraine’s Western allies are pressing Kyiv to hold elections in 2024 despite the war. Senator Graham visited Kyiv earlier this year and asked Ukraine’s government to hold elections to “take the next step in the development of democracy.” Even as it exhibits valor in wartime, the country is still widely seen as a nontransparent and corrupt nation.
Elections cannot be held under martial law, according to Ukraine’s constitution. Yet, Mr. Zelensky, who has been fighting for Ukraine’s bid to enter the European Union, says he is willing to change the law.
Before I comment on the above, I need to mention that I don’t believe anything I read about Ukraine. There are too many people invested in the destruction the war brings and too many people who will profit by keeping Mr. Zelensky in office. It is telling that the Clinton Foundation has already signed on to be one of the organizations that helps build the country after the war ends (assuming it ever ends).
The article concludes:
Mr. Razumkov says the president could be pushing for elections due to his high popularity among Ukrainians and because there is no other candidate who could confront him in the race.
In February, 90 percent of the population approved of Mr. Zelensky, according to data from Statista. This is a steep jump from pre-war figures. In March 2021, 38 percent approved of Mr. Zelensky, according to the data.
Holding elections at this time will divide a country that needs to be united, Mr. Razumkov says. For those who are pushing Ukraine toward elections, “I would say that if they want to support democratic Ukraine with democratic elections, they shouldn’t push Ukraine to have elections” now, he adds.