Ukraine Not Holding Elections Until Russia’s War Ends
Ukraine will not hold elections until the war with Russia is over, said Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the U.S. She made this statement in an interview on February 4.
Markarova was responding to a call from Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. He had suggested that Ukraine hold parliamentary and presidential elections by the end of the year, if Kyiv reaches a ceasefire deal with Moscow.
But Markarova said that this is not possible because of martial law, which has been in effect since 2022. Martial law bans elections in Ukraine during wartime.
The U.S. government has not yet discussed with Ukraine whether to hold elections by the end of 2025, according to Markarova. She said that Ukraine would be happy if elections were held, but only if it meant that they had won the war.
Most democratic countries usually hold elections even in times of war. However, Ukraine’s circumstances are different. The country has been under martial law since Russia invaded in 2022.
If martial law was not in place, a presidential election would have taken place on March 31, 2024. But this is not possible now. To hold elections during wartime, Ukraine would need to make changes to its laws and set up infrastructure for people who cannot vote because they are abroad or living near the war zone.
Some of Ukraine’s electoral infrastructure has been destroyed by Russian attacks since the beginning of the invasion. A group called Ukrainian Civil Network Opora said that Ukraine does not currently have the right system in place to hold elections that guarantee all citizens’ rights.
Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, had suggested earlier that if the war is over, martial law could be lifted and a date for elections set.
