Zelensky blocks wartime election, warns Ukraine could split
Martial law still suspends voting, while only 15 percent of Ukrainians want an election before the war ends.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the idea of holding an election while the war with Russia is still under way. In a statement published on Aug. 23, he said an election in the middle of the war would be a major risk and could split Ukraine. Zelensky said the country would instead move in a dangerous direction if it forced a vote now. Ukraine has suspended elections under martial law since Russia's 2022 invasion. Obstacles he cited include how soldiers, millions of refugees and people in occupied territories would vote, as well as the threat of Russian disinformation. A Kyiv Institute of Sociology poll also showed only 15 percent of Ukrainians want an election held before the war ends.