Ukraine War | Democracy problem: when will Ukraine vote again?

Historical recording: In 2020 there were still elections in Ukraine, namely at the local level. Photo: AFP/Sergei Supinsky President Volodymyr Zelensky's term of office actually expired in May 2024. And actually, under normal circumstances, a new parliament should have been elected in Ukraine by July 2024 at the latest. 

But there are no normal circumstances in war. And because that is the case, it has long been a matter of course in Ukrainian society that we have to be patient with new elections, that we have to wait until the guns fall silent. The law says so. It prohibits elections during war. But this consensus seems to be slowly breaking down. Now there are voices that are calling for new elections for president and parliament, or at least that they want elections to be prepared for Day X. 

Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov started with the call for new elections. On August 18, just over a month after his release, he called for a “lawful, safe and realistic mechanism” to be found that would enable Ukraine to fully resume the democratic process even under the conditions of a protracted war. 

The objection immediately came from Dmytro Lytwyn, an advisor to the Ukrainian president: "The daily Russian missile and drone attacks provide a clear answer to the question of whether such a process is even possible." But Fedorov, who was minister for digital transformation before moving to the Defense Ministry, is undeterred. He believes that elections are technically possible during war. For example, a spokesman for Fedorov told Ukrayinska Pravda that a similar approach should be taken as in the USA. You can cast your vote there on several days. Such an approach would prevent large gatherings of people on one day. 

According to the Fedorov spokesman, separate polling stations could be set up for soldiers at the front, and people in front-line areas could cast their votes in safe places, such as underground schools. The Ukrainian consulates and embassies would be overwhelmed by holding elections. Opportunities for voting abroad would have to be created outside of diplomatic missions. 

In mid-September, Yuri Hanushchak, a politician and civil servant who has been a long-time expert in local government and decentralization, discussed possible new elections in the renowned “Dzerkalo Tyschnya”. He rejects new elections for president and parliament in the near future. However, since it is now impossible to predict how long this war will last, it is now time to think about the possibilities of a democratic change of power. Delaying democratic elections until the end of the war when it is unclear when the war will end is not a democratic strategy, said Hanuschak. 

Therefore, Ukraine must create a mechanism through which power remains politically renewable even during a protracted war. Like Fedorov, he does not consider the technical problems to be insoluble. In many regions, polling stations could be set up in buildings with shelters. In areas close to the front and in military facilities, it should also be possible to vote online.

In a democracy there must be the possibility of dismissing or voting out politicians. Democratic control of power does not always have to be carried out through elections, he believes. Here Hanushchak refers to an interesting incident in the city of Uman. At the beginning of September, a legally stipulated procedure for the dismissal of an incumbent mayor was carried out there for the first time through an initiative by citizens: First, citizens collected signatures for her dismissal. The local election commission examined the procedure and made a corresponding decision. Subsequently, the party congress of the party on whose list Mayor Iryna Pletnyova was elected supported her recall.

Hanushchak argues that if regular elections cannot take place for years, the population's desire for political control and a change in those in power will not disappear. The dismissal of a mayor in Uman shows that there are functioning democratic mechanisms even without elections.

However the debate about new elections continues: preparations should begin now. A law for post-war elections should be passed now, the deputy chairman of the Central Election Commission, Serhiy Dubovik, told Ukrayinska Pravda. 

The »nd.Genossenschaft« belongs to its readers and authors. They are the ones who make our journalism accessible to everyone through their contribution: We are not backed by a media company, not a large advertising customer or even a billionaire.

Thanks to the support of our community we can:

→ report independently and critically → shine a light on topics that otherwise remain in the shadows → give space to voices that are often silenced → counter disinformation with facts → strengthen and deepen left-wing perspectives

With “Voluntarily pay” you contribute to the financing of our newspaper in solidarity. So that nd remains.