“Zelensky must remain president during martial law.”
53% approve of Zelenskiy’s re-election bid… 6%p↓
Seven out of 10 Ukrainians believe that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy should remain in office during martial law and that the presidential election should be postponed until martial law is lifted.
According to a public opinion poll conducted by the Kii Institute for International Sociology (KIIS) on the 20th (local time) from the 5th to the 10th, 69% of respondents answered that President Zeleski should remain president until martial law ends.
Additionally, the majority of respondents expressed the opinion that a presidential election should be held after the war ends.
Conversely, only 15% of respondents said that the presidential election should be held.
4% of respondents said that martial law should be temporarily suspended for elections, and 11% of respondents said that the constitution should be amended to allow elections during martial law.
In addition, 10% responded that presidential authority should be delegated to Ruslan Stepanchuk Verkhouna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) Speaker in May, when President Zelensky’s term expires.
In addition, the majority of the public (53%) appeared to support President Zelenskyy’s re-election bid in the next presidential election. It was 6 percentage points lower than the survey conducted in December last year.
Ukraine’s constitution stipulates that presidential elections will be held on the last Sunday of March, the fifth year of the current president’s term. This year it is March 31st. If no candidate receives a majority of votes, a second round of voting will be held.
However, elections are prohibited during martial law. Ukraine has continued to extend martial law and general mobilization since it announced martial law on February 24, 2022, when it was invaded by Russia.
As the war continues, some inside and outside Ukraine are calling for a presidential election to be held.
However, President Zelensky expressed his opinion, saying, “It is dangerous and meaningless to hold elections during wartime,” and “Now is not an appropriate time to hold elections.”
The Ukrainian general election scheduled for October last year has also been postponed indefinitely. All political parties in Ukraine’s parliament agreed in November last year to postpone holding national elections until martial law ends.
Ukraine continues to struggle with difficulties, including delays in large-scale support from the United States and the recent fall of the eastern strategic point of Audijkka to Russian forces.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.