Volodymyr Zelensky says it is “not the right time for elections” in Ukraine.
The president is approaching the end of his five-year term in office but argues that the Ukrainian people should not have to go to the polls as the nation continues its conflict with Russia.
Zelensky said in an address on Monday (08.11.23): “And finally, the waves of any politically divisive things must stop.
“We must realise that now is the time of defence, the time of the battle that determines the fate of the state and people, not the time of manipulations, which only Russia expects from Ukraine. I believe that now is not the right time for elections.”
He continued: “And if we need to put an end to a political dispute and continue to work in unity, there are structures in the state that are capable of putting an end to it and giving society all the necessary answers. So that there is no room left for conflicts and someone else’s game against Ukraine.”
The presidential election in Ukraine is scheduled to take place next March although polls are currently suspended in the country under martial law.
First Lady Olena Zelenska said in September that she was unsure if her husband would run for re-election next year and suggested that it would depend on Kyiv’s ability to organise a fair and free vote.
She said: “It will also depend whether our society would need him as a president, if he will feel that Ukrainian society will no longer wish him to be the president, he will probably not run. But I will support him whatever decision he takes.”