Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has directed his team to begin preparing for elections, The Economist reports. While sources cited by the outlet differ on the precise timeline, most say Zelensky is targeting the summer.
According to The Economist’s sources, Zelensky convened a meeting last week to instruct his team to organize a vote once a full ceasefire is in place — something the U.S. side believes could happen by the end of April. The first signs of this, The Economist writes, may come around May 5 — the deadline for the Ukrainian parliament to vote on extending martial law.
Lifting martial law is a necessary first step in initiating the electoral process. Ukrainian law also requires a minimum of 60 days for campaigning, meaning the earliest feasible date for an election would fall in early July. However, some of The Economist’s sources say election officials would need at least three months to update voter rolls amid the challenges of war.
A senior government official told The Economist that Zelensky may try to move quickly toward a July election, hoping the compressed timeline would leave little room for opposition to mount a campaign. The official also argued that a short campaign would benefit the country, warning that a prolonged presidential race would “tear the country apart.”
Opposition figures point to a range of logistical challenges that could complicate any rapid vote — including how to enable millions of Ukrainians to vote from abroad, from the front lines, or in Russian-occupied territories. One possible solution, they say, is the government’s Diia mobile app, though its use raises concerns about transparency. Opposition parties in parliament have also argued that fair elections would require ending wartime propaganda and censorship.
Since February, Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked Zelensky, claiming he has a low approval rating, calling him a “dictator,” and demanding that elections be held in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy, recently proposed installing a temporary administration under U.N. oversight to organize a vote. Zelensky responded to Trump by saying it “wasn’t possible” to replace him at this time.
In early March, Politico reported that four senior aides to Trump had held secret talks with several of Zelensky’s key political opponents, including Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of the Batkivshchyna party, and Petro Poroshenko, leader of the European Solidarity party and Zelensky’s predecessor as president. According to Politico, the parties discussed whether a presidential election could be held quickly in Ukraine. Poroshenko responded that he and his allies were working “publicly and transparently with American partners, aiming to preserve bipartisan support of Ukraine,” and emphasized that he and his team firmly oppose holding elections during wartime.
### ‘Now is not the time’ Zelensky’s term should have ended on May 20. Here’s how Ukrainians feel about him staying in power without an election.### ‘Now is not the time’ Zelensky’s term should have ended on May 20. Here’s how Ukrainians feel about him staying in power without an election.