The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, spoke out for the first time categorically against the possibility of holding elections scheduled for next year, while the war lasts.
“I think now is not the time for elections,” Zelensky, whose term ends on March 31, said in his address to the nation on Monday.
The Ukrainian president asked to avoid “anything that implies political division,” arguing that it is necessary to focus on the “defense” of the country and the “battle” that will decide “the fate of the country and the people.”
Zelensky appealed not to fall into pessimism and internal conflicts and warned that this is only good for Russia.
“And if it is necessary to put an end to this or to the political conflict and continue working only in unity, then the State has structures capable of putting an end to this and giving society all the necessary answers so that there is no room for conflicts and others. matches against Ukraine,” said the Head of State.
Zelensky made these statements days after his former advisor Oleksí Arestovich asked that the elections not be postponed and announced his intention to run for president.
Arestovich has been, in recent months, very critical of the Zelensky administration and claims to have been the target of pressure and threats for this.
In his speech on Monday, the Ukrainian president called it “totally irresponsible” and “frivolous” to throw the question of elections “in times of war” into public debate.
The Ukrainian military and security system had already warned of the challenge of ensuring security on election day in the midst of war and giving all soldiers, refugees and internally displaced persons the opportunity to vote.
Zelensky’s words in favor of postponing the elections – as provided for by martial law in force since the start of the war in the country – also come after the head of the Army, Valeri Zaluzhni, acknowledged for the first time errors in the military strategy adopted. and he recognized the stagnation of the front.
Source: TSF
