Over 100 Ukrainian NGOs – including those financed by George Soros’s Open Society Foundations – have signed a public appeal to demand there be no national elections in the country next year, suggesting that holding a democratic election in which Zelensky‘s position as President would be in doubt could cause a “loss of legitimacy” in the electoral process.
The NGOs made the bizarre claim that “elections alone do not constitute democracy” and that voting is not necessarily the only means of showing a country is “truly democratic.”They also gave a number of other reasons to postpone a general election until after the war in Ukraine is over, including the inability to ensure that all voters can participate, undermining national unity, the fact that a potential Russian missile strike could make voting impossible on election day, and that it would cost too much.
Ukraine is due to hold national elections in March next year, yet remains under martial law following President Zelensky’s swift decision to introduce it hours after Russia invaded on February 24, 2022. The Ukrainian government also banned the country’s second-largest party, “For Life,” in June last year, as well as 11 others it claimed were linked to Russia.
However, there have been growing calls among Ukrainian allies to ensure the elections go ahead next year, with figures such as U.S. Congressman Lindsey Graham arguing, “I want free and fair elections to occur in this country, even under attack… I believe it’s time for Ukraine to take the next step in its democratic development.”
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