Zelenskyy orders elections to be held this summer after full ceasefire - Economist
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is considering holding elections in Ukraine after a full ceasefire is reached. They may take place this summer.
This is reported by The Economist, citing government sources, Censor.NET reports.
As noted, last week Zelenskyy convened a meeting to instruct his team to organize a vote after a full ceasefire, which, according to the Americans, could be introduced by the end of April, namely by Easter on April 20.
The Economist predicts that the first confirmation could come on or before May 5, the deadline for a parliamentary vote on extending martial law, which expires on May 8. The lifting of martial law is a necessary first step for the start of the election process.
According to the newspaper, two months ago, it was believed that Zelenskyy was against holding elections. However, a dispute with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office in early March boosted Zelenskyy's rating.
"Serious preparations are now underway for Zelenskyy to appear before voters for the second time, and soon enough," the article says.
Sources disagree on the exact timing, but most say that Zelenskyy is aiming for the election this summer. The law requires at least 60 days for an election campaign, so the earliest possibility would be early July.
At the same time, some of the newspaper's sources say that the campaign should have lasted three months: this is the time when the elected bodies allegedly informed the parliament that they demanded to restore the voter lists in the midst of the war.
One Ukrainian official interviewed by the outlet believes that Zelenskyy will try to take his rivals by surprise with the July election, hoping that the short timeframe will allow him to run unopposed.
"A long campaign would tear the country apart. Such a turnaround would be beneficial not only to the president," a source told The Economist.
Opposition representatives, on the other hand, insist that fast voting is impossible, pointing to a host of logistical obstacles.
"One solution would be to use the popular government mobile application Diia. But this would raise questions about transparency. Any transition (to a different voting system - ed.) would mean changing the constitution, which requires a two-thirds majority in parliament. This would be difficult, given that opposition parties are opposed to voting in time of war. The reasons are not just technical: they say that fair elections first require dismantling war propaganda and censorship," the article says.
The Economist suggests that both US President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin "were irritated by Zelenskyy's stubbornness" and "pushed him to hold elections in the midst of war, in no doubt that Ukrainian voters would do them a favor by removing him from office."
"Given that the calculus has been turned upside down, they may not sit silently as he accelerates his progress toward a second term in office. Putin holds a lot of cards here. His drones and missiles could make it impossible to lift martial law, let alone hold a vote. But many believe that the election could help Putin destabilize Ukraine even if Zelenskyy wins," the publication adds.
As a reminder, on March 6, Politico, citing unnamed sources, wrote that four of Donald Trump's associates held secret talks with representatives of the Ukrainian opposition. They discussed the presidential election.
The day before, Donald Trump said that elections should be held in Ukraine because Zelenskyy's approval rating had dropped to 4%.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that the issue of holding elections in Ukraine is a format of pressure.
Earlier, in an interview with Censor.NET, the fifth President Petro Poroshenko said that elections in Ukraine could be held on October 26, 2025.
