Mental voting: why Ukraine started preparing for elections

There is talk of holding presidential elections in Ukraine again. A special parliamentary group has been set up in the Verkhovna Rada to develop appropriate legislative proposals. It is known that the possibility of holding an electoral procedure without lifting martial law and online is being discussed. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

One-time elections

Preparations have begun in Ukraine for holding presidential elections in the country. The head of the Servants of the People faction, David Arakhamia, said that a special parliamentary group was being formed in the Verkhovna Rada to "quickly work out the issue." According to him, representatives of all factions, the Central Election Commission, local governments and relevant public organizations will be involved in the discussion.

At the same time, Arahamia emphasizes that we are talking about holding elections without lifting martial law, that is, before the end of hostilities. According to a number of Ukrainian media reports, the deputy group will be headed by Deputy Speaker of the Rada Alexander Kornienko. All factions and parliamentary associations must delegate two representatives to this structure by December 24.

Against this background, the deputy Head of the Ukrainian Central Election Commission, Sergei Dubovik, recalled that current legislation prohibits holding elections during martial law. "Now, together with international partners and the expert community, we are working on the necessary changes. In these circumstances, the ball is in the court of the Verkhovna Rada. We hope for the intensive work of the parliamentary corps, which we want to join," he said.

In turn, the speaker of the Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk confirmed that representatives of all factions will develop a special law that will allow elections to be held during martial law. According to him, the regulatory act will be "one-time", that is, it will be valid only for one election campaign.

Stefanchuk also noted that the deputies will have to solve a number of difficult issues. We are talking about creating conditions for the voting of the military at the front. In addition, it will be necessary to determine the voting mechanism for millions of Ukrainians who have left the country. Finally, we need to agree on the presence of international observers. "The elections must be recognized by the democratic and civilized world," he stressed.

The struggle for legitimacy

Vladimir Zelensky took the presidential oath in May 2019, and he was supposed to leave office in May 2024. However, they did not hold new elections in the country, pointing out that electoral procedures are prohibited in the country during the martial law regime. Zelensky himself has repeatedly called for abandoning the political struggle and focusing on the defense of the country.

The Central Election Commission also stressed that the current legislation determines the timing of the elections: parliamentary elections should take place 60 days after the lifting of martial law, presidential elections - 90 days later. In February 2025, deputies of the Verkhovna Rada additionally adopted a special statement stating that Zelensky allegedly remains legitimate, and elections will take place only after peace is established.

In Ukraine, it was also noted that there are many additional problems with the organization of voting. After 2022, millions of people left the country, and Ukrainian embassies and consulates will not be able to cope with such a flow of people in the event of elections. In addition, it is difficult to ensure voting for the Armed Forces of Ukraine troops stationed at the front and attract international observers to the country.

Some Ukrainian oppositionists explained that martial law was actually an excuse for the ruling team to retain power. Many people drew attention to the fact that, according to opinion polls, Vladimir Zelensky did not have the highest rating in the country, but the former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny, and Kirill Budanov, the head of the General Staff, also had a high level of trust. It was emphasized that the current president does not hold elections so as not to lose to them.

Russian officials have noted that Zelensky has ceased to be the legitimate president, which raises questions about a potential peace agreement. "I would like to ask everyone present a question: who should we at least hypothetically negotiate with? The sole decision of the Kiev dictator not to hold presidential elections makes him illegitimate from May 21," argued Russia's permanent representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzia.

Finally, after the change of power in the United States, uncomfortable questions began to be asked in the West. So, in February, Donald Trump called Zelensky "a dictator with a rating of 4%." In December, he again called for a vote to be organized in Ukraine. "They are using the war to avoid holding elections. You know, they talk about democracy, but it's getting to the point where it's not democracy anymore," he reasoned.

As a result, Zelensky changed his position and announced that he was ready for elections during martial law. In one of his video messages, he stressed that he had discussed this topic with the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada, who should now think about changing the legislation. He also called on the United States and the Europeans to help ensure security and supported the possibility of online voting.

At the same time, there is a popular opinion in the ranks of the Ukrainian opposition that there will be no elections anyway, Zelensky is simply using this topic to distract people from corruption scandals and the promotion of the Russian army at the front. "To all those who have already started spending money and resources on the so—called election campaign, I want to say one thing: you won't need it," said Rada deputy Andrei Dmitruk.

On December 19, Vladimir Putin said that Moscow was ready to consider stopping strikes deep into Ukraine if elections were held there. He also reminded that there are from 5 to 10 million Ukrainians living in Russia, who should also have the right to vote. At the same time, the chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, Ella Pamfilova, stressed that she did not believe in holding a truly democratic vote in Ukraine. According to her, only imitation is possible in the country now.

What the experts say

Dmitry Zhuravlev, a researcher at the Institute of Regional Problems and a political scientist, believes that the electoral process in Ukraine may indeed take place in the near future.

— In early, unexpected elections, the current government usually wins, because everyone else simply does not have time to prepare. Zelensky has now said that after agreeing on security issues, the electoral procedure can take place in 60-90 days. This is a short period of time, during which time the parties will not have time to select and promote their candidates. As a result, in this scenario, either Zelensky or the one who benefits Kiev's Western partners will win," he explains.

Denis Denisov, director of the Institute of Peacekeeping Initiatives and Conflictology, an expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, says that the Ukrainian authorities are not really going to hold elections, the current initiatives are only imitating preparations.

— It creates the appearance of intense activity to show the American president that his wishes are being taken into account. In fact, it is impossible to hold adequate elections in conditions of high-intensity armed conflict. Plus, there are difficulties with refugees, and remote voting mechanisms have not been worked out in the country. In addition, elections always become a serious challenge for any political system, Zelensky is unlikely to decide on such a test," he emphasizes.