Life During Wartime: Ukraine Grapples With the Prospect of Holding Elections Under Martial Law

KYIV, Ukraine — Is it possible to hold a free and fair election in a country where bombs disrupt every other aspect of life? President Zelensky and Ukraine’s Western allies say yes. Opposition and electoral figures at Kyiv are less sure. Mr. Zelensky, who has united the country and is currently likely to win an election by a landslide, says the country is ready to hold a vote under martial law. Election and parliamentary officials disagree, saying that the election should be postponed until after the war and that even this exercise would present significant challenges.The only ones who want elections today are the president and those people now in government, a member of Ukraine’s parliament, Dmytro Razumkov, tells the Sun. “When we talk to the opposition, we all agree that it is going to be impossible to have fair and democratic elections,” he adds.Ukraine’s Western allies are pressing Kyiv to hold elections in 2024 despite the war. Senator Graham visited Kyiv earlier this year and asked Ukraine’s government to hold elections to “take the next step in the development of democracy.” Even as it exhibits valor in wartime, the country is still widely seen as a nontransparent and corrupt nation.Elections cannot be held under martial law, according to Ukraine’s constitution. Yet, Mr. Zelensky, who has been fighting for Ukraine’s bid to enter the European Union, says he is willing to change the law.“The person who guarantees the constitution doesn’t know the constitution,” Mr. Razumkov says. “The law prohibits changing the constitution under martial law.” To amend the constitution, Mr. Zelensky would need a majority of votes in parliament in three voting sessions, which he is unlikely to get, he adds. Mr. Razumkov was chairman of Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, between 2019 and 2021.Mr. Zelensky signed a ruling in August that extends martial law until November 15. This extension signaled that the parliamentary elections, scheduled for the last week of October, would not be held. The presidential election in March 2024, though, is still up for discussion — at least as far as Mr. Zelensky is concerned. “There is a way out,” Mr. Zelensky said during an interview with a Ukranian national television station in August. “I am ready for it.” Yet, even if martial law is lifted and the territory of Ukraine is completely liberated, the deputy chairman of the Central Election Commission, Sergii Dubovyk, believes that preparations to conduct elections in accordance with international standards may take up to six months.Currently, “the government of Ukraine doesn’t control 33 percent of voting stations,” which have either been destroyed or are under Russian occupation, Mr. Dubovyk says. “We have to restore the electoral infrastructure,” he adds. The commission doesn’t have information on the electoral infrastructure in the occupied territories. Also, almost every state in Ukraine has been affected by the full-scale invasion, which limits voting infrastructure. “I am very interested to know who of my American colleagues would agree to hold elections under such circumstances,” Mr. Dubovyk says. In addition, the Central Election Commission is taking into consideration the “different political projects” Russia could pursue after the war, Mr. Dubovyk says. In 2014, the Russians tried to undermine the credibility of the Ukrainian elections by interfering in the automated systems of the election commission. Yet the commission restored the operation of the system within an hour after the start of the cyberattack.Mr. Zelensky has been trying to limit Russia’s influence in Ukraine. In May, he signed a ban on 11 pro-Kremlin parties. In January, the president also removed the Ukrainian citizenship of four officials accused of collaborating with Russia.In an interview with CNN last month, Mr. Zelensky said, “We are ready” to hold elections despite the many challenges. Soldiers on the front line will currently not be able to vote. The country will need international cooperation to allow seven million Ukrainian refugees to vote. Mr. Razumkov says the president could be pushing for elections due to his high popularity among Ukrainians and because there is no other candidate who could confront him in the race.In February, 90 percent of the population approved of Mr. Zelensky, according to data from Statista. This is a steep jump from pre-war figures. In March 2021, 38 percent approved of Mr. Zelensky, according to the data.Holding elections at this time will divide a country that needs to be united, Mr. Razumkov says. For those who are pushing Ukraine toward elections, “I would say that if they want to support democratic Ukraine with democratic elections, they shouldn’t push Ukraine to have elections” now, he adds.

Life During Wartime: Ukraine Grapples With the Prospect of Holding Elections Under Martial Law

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