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Holding elections during the war would create major additional challenges for Ukraine, with unresolved questions over how to ensure voting rights for soldiers, pensioners, citizens in occupied territories and millions of Ukrainians living abroad, CNN reports.
Former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov recently called for Ukraine to develop a legal and secure mechanism for holding elections even if the war continues for several more years. However, experts cited by CNN say that even under peacetime conditions, preparing for a national vote would require at least six months to introduce the necessary legal reforms and electoral technology.
A partial election or a vote that could later be challenged as illegitimate would risk providing Moscow with a significant political advantage.
Major obstacles to voting during war
One possible solution could involve digital voting, allowing hundreds of thousands of military personnel on the front line to participate. However, such a system would still need to address the status of thousands of missing service members.
Another challenge is ensuring access to voting for Ukrainians without internet access, particularly older people.
Questions also remain over how citizens in occupied territories and millions of refugees abroad would vote, and how secure polling stations could be organized across dozens of Ukrainian diplomatic missions around the world.
CNN also raises the practical issue of soldiers serving under combat conditions, including whether troops in frontline positions could safely and effectively participate in an election.
The publication argues that elections during the war could become a major political gift to Russia by creating disputes over legitimacy and distracting the Ukrainian government from the war effort and reforms.
At the same time, there is currently no clear mechanism for a full and legitimate transfer of presidential power during wartime.
Fedorov’s call has therefore intensified domestic political pressure on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, even though Ukraine’s Constitution currently bars elections while martial law remains in force.
On August 18, Fedorov argued that Russia should not be allowed to determine when Ukrainians can elect their government. The Office of the President responded that organizing elections under constant Russian attacks cannot be solved through logistical measures alone.
His position has also shifted notably since Zelenskyy nominated Yevhenii Khmara as defense minister. Khmara was subsequently approved by parliament with 312 votes. Earlier, Fedorov had said he did not intend to enter opposition politics during the war.
