Ukraine grapples with legal, security and logistical obstacles to holding elections amid ongoing war, despite international pressure for a vote.
KYIV: Holding national elections in Ukraine during wartime presents immense legal, security and logistical challenges. The country has been under martial law since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, which legally prohibits organising any vote.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stated elections could follow a signed peace deal. He recently signalled willingness for a speedy vote as part of a US-led plan to end the conflict.
“I do not want Ukraine to be in any kind of weak position — for anyone to be able to use the absence of elections as an argument against Ukraine,” Zelensky told reporters in December. He added that any deal involving ceding territory should be put to a referendum.
A senior lawmaker from Zelensky’s party told AFP the political consensus remains that “neither a referendum nor elections can be held under martial law.” Ukrainian officials cite daily Russian attacks on front-line areas as a huge practical hurdle.
Millions of citizens are displaced abroad or live under Russian occupation, complicating voter access. Political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko stated elections in occupied territories are “completely impossible” under Ukrainian law.
Only 10% of Ukrainians supported holding an election before a ceasefire, according to a late 2025 poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology. The Kremlin insists Zelensky is illegitimate since his term expired in 2024.
Moscow has offered a ceasefire during voting but only if Ukrainians in Russia and occupied areas can participate. US President Donald Trump has made elections a stipulation of any peace deal he brokers.
Zelensky is seen as hopeful for a second term but said last year he would be ready to step down after peace. “If we finish the war with the Russians, yes, I am ready,” not to run, he told Axios.
His approval rating stood at 59% in late 2025, though polls show he could lose a run-off to popular ex-army chief Valery Zaluzhny. Analysts suggest other potential candidates include former President Petro Poroshenko and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
The Sun Malaysia
