Zelenskyy on presidential elections if war drags on: We will have to find solution
If the war drags on, then we will have to look for tools to hold presidential elections, despite the ban on this during martial law.
This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with a BBC journalist, Censor.NET reports.
The journalist asked Zelenskyy whether he would remain in office if the war lasted for another 10 years, as critics might say that Ukraine was not a democracy in that case.
"No one will agree to a war that will go on for another 10 years or many years. It's very difficult, it's difficult for the world, it's difficult for everyone. And I think it's impossible, realistically. The second story is that there will be many victims. There are already so many, and there will be many more, this cannot be allowed. Third, I would gladly hold elections if it were possible. And if the war drags on, we will do everything we can to make sure it doesn't. But if it does drag on, we will have to find a solution. I don't know what it is yet," the Head of State said.
The President noted that the Constitution cannot be changed during martial law. According to him, in addition to legal difficulties, there are practical obstacles to organising a democratic electoral process in a full-scale war.
"How can you hold democratic elections in the trenches, you need observers. No observers will come to the trenches. We have people in the occupied territories. So they will not vote, because how will they vote? Who will control this process? And we have more than 7 million people abroad. And how do we provide them with voting?" the Ukrainian leader said.
According to Zelenskyy, the issue is that people fighting on the frontline for democracy will not have a democratic choice of a particular person.
However, he concluded by adding that "if the war drags on, in any case, we will have to look for a tool" to hold elections.
