Zelensky Rejects Wartime Elections, says Would ‘Split’ Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelensky said in remarks made public Sunday that it would be too dangerous for Ukraine to hold an election while it fights Russia’s invasion, after a call by his former defence minister to organise a vote.

“I believe that in a war like this, elections as such are a huge risk. Elections right now are a tsunami for the country that will split Ukraine,” Zelensky said in the comments.

Ukraine has suspended elections under martial law, a measure still widely supported by the population as the country focuses on fighting off Russian forces.

“If we want to destroy the country, then we can move in the direction of elections during these times of war,” the 48-year-old leader added.

He held a briefing with a group of journalists including AFP on Saturday, the first in months amid several political crises.

The latest upheaval saw thousands take to the streets after Zelensky fired his defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov.

The ousted Fedorov this week made a surprise call to find a way to organise a vote – but without offering a roadmap, and prompting even some of his supporters to distance themselves from him.

Experts have cited a flurry of obstacles, including how soldiers, millions of Ukrainian refugees and people from occupied territories would vote, as well as disinformation threats from Russia.

Only 15 percent of Ukrainians believe elections should be held before the end of hostilities, according to a poll by the Kyiv Institute of Sociology.

Zelensky made numerous jabs at his opponent during the briefing.

“I believe he is going himself — or is being pushed – toward wrong things,” Zelensky said of Fedorov.

The former minister had pushed for reforms but clashed with the military’s command and their traditionally stiff approach.

The public initially took his side and pushed for the dismissal of commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky.

Zelensky said people had the right to protest but warned against “disrespectful” attitudes to military people.

“Since when has marketing started to outweigh the people who are giving their lives?” he said.

After a political crisis that had weakened him, Zelensky was able to cast himself as a rampart against division.

“I believe that society and soldiers must not be divided,” he said, “We must acknowledge that there is this risk — that there may be movement in that direction, toward dangerous developments.”