The issue of holding elections in Ukraine under martial law is extremely complicated, and ensuring the electoral process in times of war remains an almost impossible task, said participants of the roundtable discussion "Elections under martial law: between public demand and the strengthening of Russian malicious narratives" held at the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine …
The issue of holding elections in Ukraine under martial law is extremely complicated, and ensuring the electoral process in times of war remains an almost impossible task, said participants of the roundtable discussion “Elections under martial law: between public demand and the strengthening of Russian malicious narratives” held at the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Thursday.
“We are not saying that elections should be announced today. Perhaps it would be the best option if these elections were held after the war, at least its hot phase. However, as the analysis of lawyers shows, we are not ready even for post-war elections today, and our legislation needs to be adapted to transitional conditions. Legal readiness for elections during the war is, in particular, a signal to the enemy that we are ready to fight as long as necessary,” said Yuriy Goncharenko, head of the InfoLight.UA Research and Analysis Group.
The participants of the roundtable agreed that the preparation and holding of elections poses serious risks for Ukraine, and the electoral process could become a source of political destabilization at a time when the unity of society is critical. In addition, it would divert significant resources from defense needs and create additional opportunities for enemy information attacks and manipulation.
At the same time, the participants of the roundtable noted that holding elections could be a powerful signal of the resilience of Ukrainian democracy and would demonstrate to the world that even in times of war, the Ukrainian state is capable of supporting democratic processes. It would also provide an opportunity to renew the mandate of public trust in the government, which is especially important in the context of a protracted conflict.
“Democracy versus authoritarianism. This is our advantage. And we cannot deviate from this in any way. There are those who want to curtail democracy, saying that there is a war. Then it will be like this – one tyranny against another. One of the main pillars of democracy is free elections. Ukraine needs elections, and we need to think about how to do it in wartime. And we should not be afraid of this – elections will strengthen, not weaken, the country,” said political scientist Volodymyr Manko.
An analysis of public sentiment on holding elections during the war shows that the majority of Ukrainians are against such an initiative. On the other hand, the founder of the sociological company Active Group, Andriy Yeremenko, noted the growing demand for such surveys. “Month after month, conducting our weekly surveys, we notice a gradual increase in public demand for holding elections under martial law,” he said.
According to Eremenko, this increase in demand for elections is due to a gradual decline in confidence in the current government: today, all ratings and polls, regardless of the wording of the questions, show a general decline in its ratings. “This trend leads to the fact that people are beginning to want changes in the government, and this is a natural reaction. If the mayor, president or deputies do not meet the expectations of citizens, then the logical desire is to re-elect them. However, the other side of this problem is that many voters are not sure who they would like to see in these positions instead of the current leaders,” he said.
According to Svitlana Kushnir, editor-in-chief of the InterVizor media platform, the recent US presidential election has also increased public demand for elections in Ukraine. “Ukrainians have seen the celebration of democracy in the United States, and many of them are asking the question: when will we have elections here? By nature, we are a democratic nation, and re-election of the government every few years is an important element of normal social and political life for us,” she said.
On Thursday, November 14, at 11.00, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a roundtable discussion on “Elections under martial law: between public demand and the strengthening of Russian malicious narratives.”
Organizer: NGO “Foundation for Promoting Democracy” within the framework of the Ukrainian Experts Talks project.
Source: Interfax-Ukraine
