Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in Ukraine in 2024. which is predetermined. In the meantime, many have started talking about the election. But President Volodymyr Zelensky does not want to hold elections under the pretext of war. He says it is 'irresponsible' to talk about the 2024 elections in the middle of a war.
In a video message to the countrymen on Monday (November 6), Zelensky effectively ruled out the possibility of elections. "Ukraine must now focus on military challenges and remain united," he said.
He commented, We all know that the country is now at war. Now we face many challenges. It is absolutely irresponsible to engage in discussions on election related issues at this moment.
He also said. We need to understand that now is the time of defense, the time of war, on which the fate of the state and its people depend. I believe that this time is not suitable for elections.
Volodymyr Zelensky, a former comedian, was elected president of Ukraine in 2019. At the end of his third year in power, in February 2022, Ukraine became involved in a war with Russia's military operation. The war has been going on for more than a year and a half.
Due to the war, Ukraine is now under martial law. According to a report by Al Jazeera, Zelensky is considering whether to introduce a special provision to hold elections as the war drags on.
In September this year, he said that he is ready to hold elections if necessary. He even announced that international observers would be allowed to observe the vote.
Just last week, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the president was considering the positives and negatives of holding elections at a time when large swaths of the country are at war.
Meanwhile, as Ukraine tries to retain the support of Western allies like the United States, politicians like U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham are reminding Ukraine of its commitment to political democracy. Along with that, they are also calling for pre-scheduled elections.
But Zelensky is now trying to avoid the election by using the pretext of war. He claimed, now is 'not the right time' for elections. Although Ukraine claims to be a democratic country, he wants to remain in power without elections.
Israel-Hamas conflict diverts attention from Ukraine: Zelensky
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel in the besieged Palestinian Gaza Strip has taken the world's attention away from the war in Ukraine. He alleged that it was 'a target' of Russia too.
BBC reported this information in a report on Sunday (November 5).
Zelensky said at a press conference in Kiev with visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday (November 4) that it is clear that the ongoing war in the Middle East is taking (the world's) attention away from Ukraine.
He said that Russia wanted everyone's focus on Ukraine to be 'weak'. But he insists, 'everything is in our power'.
Zelensky denied this despite a recent assessment by the country's top military general that the war in Ukraine had reached a stalemate. Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russia in the south has so far made little progress.
There are also indications that some of Kiev's western allies are increasingly reluctant to continue providing advanced weapons and funding.
At the press conference, Zelensky was also asked to comment on a recent assessment of Ukraine's chief military commander, Valery Zaluzhny. It said the war was now entering a 'stagnant' or stagnant phase and would give Moscow 'an opportunity to rebuild its military strength'.
Zelensky said everyone is getting tired and has different opinions. But it is by no means deadlocked.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustom Umerov confirmed on Saturday that Ukrainian soldiers of the country's 128th Mountain Assault Brigade were killed. Referring to this incident as a 'tragedy', he ordered an investigation into the incident.
Russia's Defense Ministry said 13 of the 15 Ukrainian missiles fired at the plant in the eastern Crimean city of Kerch were shot down. However, a Russian ship was damaged in the attack.
You must be logged in to post a comment.