Zelensky weighs pros and cons of spring elections – Ukraine's FM Kuleba
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Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba said President Volodymyr Zelensky is studying the possibility of holding presidential elections in the spring of 2024.
Kuleba said this at a briefing, SkyNews reports.
"We are not closing this page. The President of Ukraine considers and weighs various "pros" and "cons," – the head of the MFA emphasized.
Kuleba added that holding elections during a war with Russia would lead to "unprecedented challenges."
At the end of August, Zelensky stated that he would like the 2024 presidential elections to take place as planned. However, according to him, it is difficult to organize elections in the conditions of hostilities, and it is also against the law.
The president noted that "every vote is needed"; at the same time, it is not known whether, for example, military personnel on the front lines or Ukrainian refugees abroad will be able to vote.
According to Zelensky, at least five billion in financial support from the USA and the EU will be needed. However, the president did not specify in which currency the aid should be provided.
"I will not hold elections on credit, I will not take money from weapons and give them for elections, and this is provided for by law," he emphasized.
For reference:
Parliamentary elections should have been held in Ukraine in October 2023, and presidential elections are scheduled for 2024 (the first round should be held on March 31, the second (in case of appointment) on April 21).
However, in the conditions of martial law, which has been introduced since February 24, 2022, the law prohibits holding elections for the President of Ukraine, elections to the Verkhovna Rada [Ukraine's parliament – ed.], and local self-government bodies.
In the summer, US Senator Lindsey Graham said at a press conference in Kyiv that elections should be held in Ukraine in 2024, even if the war continues. The Ukrainian authorities explained that elections are possible only after the end of hostilities.
However, President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that holding elections shortly will take the attention of Ukrainians and the world away from the main thing – the process of restoring peace. In addition, it is difficult to organize elections in the conditions of hostilities, and it is also against the law.
