Zelensky has plan to take out election rivals – Economist

Vladimir Zelensky and his team have begun laying the groundwork for a summer presidential vote in Ukraine in a bid to “catch rivals off guard” and secure re-election before the fragmented opposition has a chance to regroup, the Economist reported, citing senior government sources.

Zelensky’s five-year presidential term expired in May 2024, but he refused to call new elections, citing martial law he personally imposed. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly questioned Zelensky’s legitimacy, arguing that his status prevents him from signing any legally binding documents, including a peace deal with Moscow. Even US President Donald Trump once referred to Zelensky as a “dictator without elections.”

According to the Economist article published Sunday, Zelensky “called a meeting last week to task his team with organising a vote after a full ceasefire, which the Americans believe they could impose by late April.”

A senior government source claimed that Zelensky intends to move quickly to reduce electoral competition by giving potential rivals little time to prepare and virtually “run unopposed.” The same source attempted to justify the move by claiming that “a long campaign would tear the country apart.”

Zelensky claimed in an interview last month that the Ukrainian “population is against elections,” arguing that holding a vote would undermine the country’s defense posture. “If we suspend martial law, we will lose the army,” he said.

The Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, is set to vote on whether to extend martial law for another 90 days before it expires on May 8. Most sources cited by The Economist expect Zelensky to push for a summer vote, with early July cited as the earliest possible date under Ukraine’s 60-day minimum campaign law.

Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, described by the outlet as “a sworn foe” of Zelensky, predicted that elections could take place “any time from August to October.” Poroshenko claimed the campaign had already de facto begun in February, when Zelensky placed him under sanctions in an attempt to write off his candidacy and warn off former commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny.

Zelensky’s January sanctions also targeted exiled Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk. Medvedchuk led the Opposition Platform – For Life party, formerly the second-largest faction in the Ukrainian parliament, until his arrest in April 2022. The party was later banned, and Medvedchuk was transferred to Russia in a September 2022 prisoner exchange.

Putin has estimated that Zelensky has “absolutely no chance” of winning a fair election due to low approval ratings, “unless something is grossly rigged.” An internal poll last month suggested that Zelensky would be defeated by Zaluzhny, 30% to 65%, as many Ukrainians are “clearly frustrated with their war leader.”

Critics have also pointed out that a fair vote would require dismantling censorship and ending government control over media coverage. In 2022, Kiev introduced what it called the United News TV telemarathon – a 24/7 joint information program produced by the country’s major media outlets – while cracking down on alternative narratives as pro-Russia propaganda.