Earlier this month Ukraine’s President Zelensky said for the first time he’s ready and willing to hold national elections, after previously canceling them while citing martial law and the ongoing war by Russia.This week he’s actually taken a practical step, telling the Verkhovna Rada – the country’s parliament – to establish a formal working group to study whether elections can be held safely and fairly during a state of martial law and wartime. Head of Zelensky’s Servant of the People faction, David Arakhamia, issued the following statement on Monday: “According to a preliminary agreement, a working group is being formed in the Verkhovna Rada to quickly address the issue of holding a possible presidential election in Ukraine during martial law. The discussion will take place within the Rada’s relevant committee on state governance, local self-government, regional development, and urban planning.”via InterfaxThe Kremlin’s position is that after Ukraine canceled the 2024 election, Zelensky became illegitimate as a head of state, given that while Article 83 of the nation’s constitution allows for the extraordinary extension of the parliament’s powers during martial law, there is no specific clause for extending a presidential term.President Putin himself has questioned Zelensky’s legal authority to ever sign a binding peace or ceasefire document. Interestingly, President Trump has lately ramped up pressure on Kiev to hold elections, saying that the country is backsliding in terms of the democratic process.Ukraine is reaching “a point where it’s not a democracy any more,” Trump said in early December. According to more of the background of what led up to Zelensky finally conceding that elections should be considered:But critics have said that Zelensky is more simply trying to buy time amid Washington pressure, presenting to the public that he’s ‘doing something’ about elections while not actually planning to hold them.”We will announce the date and time of the meeting soon. Media representatives will also be invited,” Arakhamia has additionally said of the parliamentary working group. This could merely drag on as an endless bureaucratic exercise.Loading recommendations…
Source link
