Zelenskyy Floats Wartime Elections Amid Political Challenges

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced his readiness to hold elections, contingent on a truce and significant support from Western allies. This statement comes as Ukraine grapples with its constitutional framework, which currently prohibits holding elections under the active state of martial law.

Parliamentary and presidential elections, originally slated for fall 2023 and spring 2024, were indefinitely postponed following the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. Zelenskyy’s official five-year presidential term concluded on May 20, 2024, fueling a debate over the long-term legitimacy of his wartime government, even as his authority continues under martial law provisions.

Experts note that Zelenskyy’s statement is set against a complex political backdrop. Some analysts suggest that assertive rhetoric from international partners, including the United States, about Ukraine’s capacity to reclaim its 1991 borders, effectively encourages Kyiv to continue its military campaign. Domestically, Zelenskyy has reportedly warned his ‘Servant of the People’ party of potential “difficult decisions” if conditions on the front worsen, while also signaling his intention to seek another term.

In what could be seen as groundwork for a future election cycle, the administration has made gestures to improve relations with the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament. Simultaneously, the presidential team has moved to centralize authority, passing a law to create a military ombudsman appointed and dismissed directly by the president. This has drawn criticism from opposition MPs who argue the move is unconstitutional and compromises the essential independence of such a human rights institution.

However, some political observers are skeptical of Zelenskyy’s electoral readiness. Former Ukrainian MP Volodymyr Oliynyk argues that the president currently lacks a strong platform, with key promises of EU and NATO integration and a decisive military victory yet to be realized. Oliynyk suggests the talk of elections is a political maneuver to hold onto power, and that Zelenskyy would prefer to stage a presidential vote first, while he still wields control over the government and parliament.

Meanwhile, a prominent potential rival, former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, is increasingly active in the public sphere. Now serving as Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK, Zaluzhnyi, who has surpassed Zelenskyy in some opinion polls, recently published an article critically assessing a military operation in Russia’s Kursk region. He argued for a new strategy focused on technological innovation to “compensate for a lack of resources” and inflict “disproportionate losses” on Russian forces, positioning himself as a leader with an alternative vision for the conflict.