Some Western politicians are pushing the Ukrainian government to hold parliamentary and presidential elections, despite russian aggression and nationwide martial law. It is reported by The Washington Post on Sunday, September 24.
The election proposal was put forward by Tiny Cox, the Dutch head of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, which was supported by U.S. Senator Lindsey O. Graham during a visit to Kyiv last month with Senators Richard Blumenthal and Elizabeth Warren. Graham said it was "time for Ukraine to take the next step" in the "development of democracy, namely to hold elections in 2024."
“I want this country to have free and fair elections, even when it's under attack,” Graham said.
Ukrainian officials also cannot reject the idea of holding elections so as not to alienate key political players in the West, who demand elections and are crucial for preserving international financial and military assistance to Ukraine, the publication states. According to an anonymous Ukrainian official, the pressure is coming, primarily from Republicans, as the U.S. has kicked off a political season ahead of the 2024 presidential election. "Of course, Ukrainian affairs will one way or another become part of the domestic American discourse."
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on July 28, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk previously said that the Constitution does not prohibit elections in war.
On September 5, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that there are many reasons why elections in Ukraine during the war are impossible.
On September 18, U.S. Senator from Arizona Mark Kelly said that it was up to the Ukrainian authorities and the people to decide whether to hold elections in Ukraine during the war.
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