The Times: Ukraine unlikely to hold elections this year

Ukraine is unlikely to hold national elections this year, officials involved in electoral planning have concluded. 

Members of an official working group under Ukraine’s electoral commission told The Times they have yet to resolve key questions about how to guarantee safe and credible elections while the country remains under threat of Russian attacks and interference. Draft legislation had been expected to reach parliament late last month, but discussions are set to continue until at least the end of May.

The group has agreed in principle that Ukraine should only begin a formal campaign period at least six months after the necessary legislation is debated and passed, and once a ceasefire is in place. That timeline effectively rules out a presidential election this year.

The issue has become increasingly sensitive diplomatically. US President Donald Trump has pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to outline a plan for holding elections as part of any potential peace agreement with Russia. Moscow has also demanded that Ukraine organise a vote, with Trump at times echoing Kremlin narratives questioning Zelenskyy’s legitimacy, suggesting elections should proceed despite the war and referring to him as “a dictator without elections.”

Zelenskyy and the current parliament were elected in 2019. Ukraine had been scheduled to hold elections in 2024, but the country’s constitution prohibits parliamentary elections under martial law, which has been in effect since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

By Sabina Mammadli