Ukraine's Election Dilemma: War, Trust, and the Future

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed his willingness to hold elections within 90 days, but there's a catch. The country is under martial law due to Russia's ongoing invasion, which makes holding elections legally tricky. Zelenskyy has asked lawmakers to find a legal solution and has also sought help from Western partners to ensure the security of the vote. Back in 2019, Zelenskyy won a landslide victory with over 73% of the votes. His party, Servant of the People, also secured an outright majority in the parliamentary elections that year. However, his popularity has seen some ups and downs since then. It dropped to 37% by early 2022 but shot up to 90% when Russia launched its full-scale invasion. As of autumn this year, around 60% of Ukrainians still support him. If elections were held today, Zelenskyy would likely win, according to a recent poll by Info Sapiens. He would secure around 20. 3% of the votes, which is a significant drop from his 2019 performance but still the highest among potential candidates. The second most popular choice is General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the former commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces. Zaluzhnyi is currently Ukraine's ambassador to the UK and has a stellar reputation for his role in defending Ukraine during the war. However, he has no plans to run for office anytime soon. The third potential candidate is Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence. He has just over 5% support in the polls. Budanov has not expressed any political ambitions and is seen as crucial in his current role. Most Ukrainians do not want elections to be held during the war. Only 12% believe elections should take place amid the invasion. A higher number, 22%, support elections after a ceasefire with security guarantees, which Ukraine has not yet received. Around 63% believe elections should happen only after the war ends. Zelenskyy has stated that he would not seek re-election once the war ends. He said his goal is to finish the war and help his country, not to win another term.