Elections during war pose serious threat – Budanov
Holding elections in Ukraine during the war poses a serious threat and could call their results into question.
This was stated by Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov in an interview broadcast during the national telethon on Friday, according to Censor.NET.
Serious threat
"Elections during war, in addition to technical problems, pose a serious threat… Elections during war, in principle, call their results into question to some extent," Budanov noted.
He pointed out that not everyone would be able to vote properly, which would raise questions: some people voted while others were unable to, how many people were unable to vote, and so on.
War must be ended
According to the Presidential Office head, in a society that is not entirely united, this creates grounds "for a particular region, for example, simply to say: ‘Sorry, we support Ukraine, but we do not recognise any of this, and until everything is put in order, we will be an autonomous entity.’" He stressed that this was "a path towards tearing the state apart."
Budanov added that "everyone must unite" and end the war, and "after that, we proceed with all the processes."
Background
- On 18 August, former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov recorded an address to Ukrainians in which he said the country must find a mechanism for holding elections during the war.
- The Office of the President called former Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov’s idea of holding elections during the war "a complete lack of realism."
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that holding elections "during a war like this" posed major risks that could lead to Ukraine being divided.
