Zelenskyy rejects wartime election plan as threat to Ukraine
Ukraine’s president said voting during the war could divide the country, after a former minister urged preparations for an election.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pushed back against calls to prepare for elections while the war with Russia continues, saying such a vote could endanger the country. He made the remarks in response to a proposal from former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
Zelenskyy said holding an election now would be difficult to carry out and could deepen internal divisions. He argued that the idea was unrealistic while Russia shows no sign of agreeing to a ceasefire.
The president also linked the debate to the military situation, saying Russia is building up ballistic missiles and may be weighing a further mobilisation of 300,000 troops. His comments were reported by several international outlets on Sunday.
A summer survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found limited public appetite for a wartime vote, with 15% of respondents saying they wanted one at this time. Ukraine has not held a national election since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
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