MOSCOW, September 20 The final decision on holding elections in Ukraine in 2024 they will be received in the United States during the visit of Vladimir Zelensky, Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexey Goncharenko said on his Telegram channel on Wednesday.
On September 15, Verkhovna Rada deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported that the draft state budget of Ukraine for 2024 does not include expenses for holding elections.
“The Constitution on martial law states that the council works until the end of the special regime. That is, there should be no elections. But what is surprising is that the Constitution does not indicate the President of Ukraine. That is, it does not say that he works until the end of the special regime «It is in the law on martial law. And appealing to this, our Western partners, namely the United States, insist on elections. It is important for them to confirm the legitimacy of the President of Ukraine. Especially considering that there will be elections in Russia in March,» Goncharenko wrote.
He also added that the Ukrainian authorities do not understand at all when and how elections should be held, but they hope that the decision will be made now — “during Zelensky’s trip to the United States.” At the same time, according to the deputy, elections could presumably be held in March or May 2024. “But it will definitely be clear as soon as Zelensky returns from the USA. And they will think whether there will be elections at all. If there are, either only for the president, or, perhaps, immediately to the Rada. What can I say for sure? This is what if there will be elections to the Rada, they will be held on closed lists. There will be no open lists,» Goncharenko concluded.
Holding elections in Ukraine during martial law is prohibited, but such a possibility exists if the parliament supports the relevant legislative changes. A martial law regime has been introduced in Ukraine since February 24, 2022; the next day Zelensky signed a decree on general mobilization. At the end of July, the Verkhovna Rada extended martial law until November 15, 2023. Elections to the Verkhovna Rada were supposed to take place at the end of October, but due to the extension of martial law, elections will not be held.