https://sputnikglobe.com/20240331/free-and-transparent-election-in-ukraine-would-have-been-disaster-for-zelensky-1117674979.html
Free and Transparent Election in Ukraine Would Have Been Disaster for Zelensky
Free and Transparent Election in Ukraine Would Have Been Disaster for Zelensky
Sputnik International
The 2024 presidential election in Ukraine was originally slated to take place on March 31 before the leadership in Kiev decided not to hold it under the pretext of martial law.
2024-03-31T18:58+0000
2024-03-31T18:58+0000
2024-03-31T18:58+0000
analysis
ukraine
volodymyr zelensky
elections
bogdan bezpalko
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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky de facto confirmed his decision not to hold a presidential election in the country this weekend.While officials in Kiev insisted that this decision is related to the martial law imposed in the country since the escalation of the Ukrainian conflict in February 2022, speculation abounds that it may have something to do with Zelensky’s abysmal poll ratings.“He does not want to hold elections because he fears losing them and that someone else will take his place,” political analyst Bogdan Bezpalko, a member of the Russian Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations, told Sputnik. Russian envoy to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzya has already suggested that Zelensky will technically cease being a legitimate president once his term officially ends on May 21.Bezpalko, however, pointed out that Zelensky’s presidential term could be extended until August, not to mention that the regime in Kiev may try to stage some provocation in order to “change the judicial status of the conflict” and thus extend Zelensky’s term even further.The analyst added that Zelensky’s decision is unlikely to invite any repercussions from the West as long as the Kiev regime is deemed suitable to the Western powers’ interests.If, however, the West for some reason decides to oust Zelensky, the latter would be immediately lectured on democracy and told that he is no longer a legitimate president of Ukraine, Bezpalko suggested.While Western powers may issue “some timid statements” about Zelensky’s decision not to hold elections being “not very good,” they likely will not be followed by any sanctions or diminishing of the flow of Western assistance to Kiev, he added.According to him, the issue of Zelensky’s legitimacy is a secondary concern because his replacement would be unlikely to change Ukraine’s stance on relations with Russia or the whole conflict.The reason for this, he said, is the fact that it is not just Ukraine or Zelensky himself who are engaged in conflict with Russia – it is essentially the entire West versus Russia.Bezpalko also observed that Zelensky established an authoritarian regime in Ukraine by attempting to deny his political opponents access to mass media and any material resources.The fact that Zelensky bears responsibility for dragging Ukraine into a conflict that became an utter disaster for the country, with his name becoming synonymous with all the hardships that befell Ukrainians in recent months, would have ensured his defeat in a free and transparent election, Bezpalko surmised.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20240330/zelenskys-remarks-on-talks-with-russia-show-him-nervous-as-ukrainian-elections-loom-1117656094.html
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ukraine presidential election, zelensky election date, ukrainian presidential election 2024
ukraine presidential election, zelensky election date, ukrainian presidential election 2024
Free and Transparent Election in Ukraine Would Have Been Disaster for Zelensky
The 2024 presidential election in Ukraine was originally slated to take place on March 31 before the leadership in Kiev decided not to hold it under the pretext of martial law.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky de facto confirmed his decision not to hold a presidential election in the country this weekend.
While officials in Kiev insisted that this decision is related to the martial law imposed in the country since the escalation of the Ukrainian conflict in February 2022, speculation abounds that it may have something to do with Zelensky’s abysmal poll ratings.
“He does not want to hold elections because he fears losing them and that someone else will take his place,” political analyst Bogdan Bezpalko, a member of the Russian Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations, told Sputnik.
“Ukraine is not in a state of war, mobilization has not been officially declared, there are no other attributes associated with a country that is officially in a state of war. The martial law, of course, may allow him to extend his term but not indefinitely.”
Russian envoy to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzya has already suggested that Zelensky will technically
cease being a legitimate president once his term officially ends on May 21.
Bezpalko, however, pointed out that Zelensky’s presidential term could be extended until August, not to mention that the
regime in Kiev may try to stage some provocation in order to “change the judicial status of the conflict” and thus extend Zelensky’s term even further.
The analyst added that Zelensky’s decision is unlikely to invite any repercussions from the West as long as the Kiev regime is deemed suitable to the Western powers’ interests.
If, however, the West for some reason decides to oust Zelensky, the latter would be immediately lectured on democracy and told that he is no longer a legitimate president of Ukraine, Bezpalko suggested.
While Western powers may issue “some timid statements” about Zelensky’s decision not to hold elections being “not very good,” they likely will not be followed by any sanctions or diminishing of the flow of Western assistance to Kiev, he added.
“He may end up experiencing some difficulty in his contacts with the West but he will continue receiving aid – limited, significantly diminished perhaps, but he will keep getting aid,” Bezpalko remarked.
According to him, the issue of Zelensky’s legitimacy is a secondary concern because his replacement would be unlikely to change Ukraine’s stance on relations with Russia or the whole conflict.
The reason for this, he said, is the fact that it is not just Ukraine or Zelensky himself who are engaged in conflict with Russia – it is essentially the entire West versus Russia.
Bezpalko also observed that Zelensky established an authoritarian regime in Ukraine by attempting to deny his political opponents access to mass media and any material resources.
The fact that Zelensky bears responsibility for dragging Ukraine into a conflict that became an
utter disaster for the country, with his name becoming synonymous with all the hardships that befell Ukrainians in recent months, would have ensured his defeat in a free and transparent election, Bezpalko surmised.
