President Zelenskiy told reporters on the 23rd that Ukraine is not in a position
to hold elections during wartime and that holding a vote now would risk a split
in the country. He was responding to a video by his recently dismissed
ex-defence minister Fedorov, who called for wartime elections and said Ukraine
faces a governance crisis. Zelenskiy said pressure exists to hold elections
while fighting continues, but stressed the prerequisite is that partner
countries can provide concrete guarantees to ensure elections are safe and legal
— including secure voting for frontline troops and the millions of Ukrainians
displaced abroad.
