Zelensky May Hold Elections in Summer, Unnamed Officials Say

President Volodymyr Zelensky is reportedly planning to host elections and run for a second term this summer, according to some unnamed Ukrainian officials quoted in Western media.

The elections could be held as early as July if all developments align.

The Economist, citing unnamed Ukrainian officials, said Zelensky instructed his team to lay the groundwork for elections at a meeting last week. Kyiv Post cannot independently verify the authenticity of the report.

The US hopes a full ceasefire can be achieved by late April or early May, after which Ukraine can theoretically cancel the martial law – a precondition to host elections – which expires on May 5 at present unless Ukraine’s parliament, Verkhovna Rada, votes to extend it.

Candidates are allowed at least 60 days to campaign according to Ukrainian law, The Economist placed the timeline for the elections as early as early July as a result.

However, the outlet also noted that some unnamed officials believe campaigning could take three months to accommodate the changes in wartime, though it claimed the general consensus for the expected elections among the officials is this summer.

Opposition leaders interviewed also voiced widespread concerns over wartime propaganda, censorship and Russian disinformation, which would affect the fairness of the elections.

One unnamed official believes an early election would favor Zelensky as the source reasoned that it would give little time for opposition figures to prepare.

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Both Russian leader Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump have questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy as Ukraine’s leader, though elections are prohibited in wartime per the Ukrainian Constitution.

That said, Trump also said on Sunday that he was “angry, pissed off” by Putin’s recent suggestion that Zelensky should be removed from office and Ukraine be governed by a UN-Led administration.

Zelensky’s domestic political opponents also agree that the country should not hold elections while hostilities are underway and more than a million residents have been displaced.

Logistics hurdles, potential solutions

As for hosting elections during wartime, opposition leaders hinted to The Economist that it would be difficult, though preparations to facilitate the process are ostensibly underway.

“Finding a way for millions of voters abroad, in the trenches, or in regions occupied by Russia to cast ballots would be ‘even harder.’ One solution would be to use the government’s well-regarded Diia smartphone app. But that would raise questions of transparency,” The Economist reported.

It added that any changes to facilitate voting during wartime – as Russian drones and missiles continue to threaten safety in Ukraine – would require a two-third majority in the Verkhovna Rada.

Elections would also be difficult considering the number of displaced Ukrainians. Still, Oleh Didenko, chairman of Ukraine’s Central Election Commission (CEC), told Ukrainian news outlet Ukrainska Pravda that his commission is preparing mechanisms to allow Ukrainians overseas to vote from abroad.

“It is clear that our 102 polling stations, which exist on the territory of embassies and consulates, cannot solve the problem. Therefore, we created three groups to work out possible changes to the legislation. One of them focused specifically on voting abroad,” Didenko said.

“Various options were considered, starting with electronic voting, postal voting, which we, as the CEC, do not support, especially for post-war elections. But everyone agreed on such an option as the creation of additional polling stations outside embassies and consulates. And this is precisely what the institution of the so-called active registration is connected with,” Didenko added.

He added that the proposal still requires approval from the Verkhovna Rada, meaning that even if Zelensky decided to move forward with the plan, there could still be a substantial hurdle from domestic opposition.