Ukrainian President Zelensky is causing waves in the West again after the revelation that the US and EU would have to fund any potential Ukrainian election next year. Zelensky sat down for an interview with journalist Natalia Moseychuk on Sunday to discuss his reasoning and logistics.
Because of the ongoing war with Russia, Ukraine is currently under martial law due to the war. Under Ukranian law, elections cannot be held during that time. Zelensky said that it would be possible to hold an election so long as the ability to vote in elections needs to be ensured for all citizens, including those residing on European soil to evade the conflict as well as military personnel.
Zelensky stated, “We need every vote. We won't be able to say for ourselves that this was a very democratic election. We need a legitimate choice. We need this choice to be made by society. So that it does not divide our people. We need the military to be able to vote. They are defending this democracy today, and not giving them this opportunity because of the war is unfair. I was against the elections only because of this issue.”
Because of these circumstances, a huge portion of Ukrainian voting would need to take place abroad, mostly in Europe. With that, comes a substantial cost that Zelensky claims cannot come from credit or from the country’s other budgets being used for the war.
Zelensky reported that he had discussions about this with Republican Senator Lindsay Graham. “I told him: if the United States and Europe give us financial support... if the parliamentarians realize that we need to do this, then let's quickly change the legislation and, most importantly, let's take risks together.”
The Ukrainian President then speaks on the importance of maintaining election integrity during this process, explaining that ample staff would need to be deployed to these out-of-country polling locations.
He said, “Observers should be in the trenches. I told [Graham]: observers must be sent to the frontline so that the elections are legitimate for us and for the whole world. And this is absolutely fair.”
Zelensky had made statements earlier this year that no Ukranian elections would be held until the war with Russia is over. He also said that the war will not end until Russia relinquishes Crimea, which they gained during a 2014 invasion.
In May, he told The Washington Post, “If we have martial law, we cannot have elections. The constitution prohibits any elections during martial law. If there is no martial law, then there will be. Well, the law says that according to the constitution of Ukraine, after martial law ends, I think, in 90 days, elections are held. It’s something like that. I don’t remember actually."
He is referencing the martial law renewal cycle which happens every 90 days. The current invocation will expire on November 15, but will likely stay in place for the duration of the war. He walked back his claim that no elections can be held under martial law on Sunday, insinuating he would consider it only with the help and money of allied countries and with the guarantee that every Ukrainian citizen would have the ability to vote.
"We need help from Europe here, because Ukrainians today are mostly in the European Union. Polling stations must be opened there so that people can come. 7 million people have to vote. We do not have such infrastructural capacities - we need to provide appropriate opportunities there.” Zelensky continued, “How will the military be able to vote? Show me the infrastructure. No one has shown it yet. How will people abroad be able to vote? No one has shown me. There is a way out. I am ready for it. I am talking about this publicly now, I told him. I have no secrets," he said.
The interview was published by the Ukrainian President’s office.
