President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine canceled the presidential election in the spring to avoid political division. The leader called on his people to unite and concentrate all resources to fight Russia.
“Now, in wartime, when there are so many challenges, it is irresponsible to throw the topic of elections into society in a lighthearted and playful way,” Zelenskyy said, adding that ”the waves of any politically divisive things must stop.”
Zelenskyy was elected for a five-year term which would end on March 2024. However, Ukraine’s constitution mandates that until the declaration of martial law is in place, elections cannot push through.
According to Article 19 under the “Legal Regime of Martial Law”: Under martial law, the following shall be prohibited: Amendment of the Constitution of Ukraine; Amendment of the Constitution of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea; holding elections of the President of Ukraine, as well as elections to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and bodies of local self-government.
The Ukrainian president further justified his decision and said that to ensure elections were “legitimate” and “absolutely fair” they would need additional funding.
Zelenskyy first declared martial law on February 22, 2022, during a full-scale attack by Russian forces. This was extended until February 14, 2024, which was approved on November 16, 2023.
The president further said in his speech: “We must realize that now is the time of defense, the time of battle that determines the fate of the state and people, not the time of manipulations, which only Russia expects from Ukraine,” he said. “I believe that now is not the right time for elections.”
However, Zelenskyy is not authorized to call or cancel the elections. According to the Ukrainian constitution, this authority rests with the Ukrainian parliament.
Despite these, many had expressed qualms about Zelenskyy’s decision and even slammed the former actor-turned-politician for prosecuting and silencing opposition. He also shut down media and TV stations critical to his administration.
Last week, the Ukranian president pleaded with Washington leaders on Tuesday to release the military aid for war against Russia. However, this was rejected by Congress as lawmakers are still on a tightrope over the GOP’s request for “border changes.”
Speaker Mike Johnson also demands the Biden administration to account for the previous billions released for Ukraine.
“We need a clear articulation of the strategy to allow Ukraine to win, and thus far their responses have been insufficient and have not provided us the clarity and the detail that we requested,” Johnson added, which probably means that the resolution on the border policy does not mean approval of Ukraine’s military assistance.
