The Office of the President of Ukraine is not opposed to holding elections, but the problem lies in security conditions. A source from the President’s Office told LIGA.net in response to former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov’s appeal, in which he supported holding a vote during the war.
“Let him hold them among the ballistic missiles, what can I say. No one has ever been against elections, but the electoral process is more than just figuring out how to vote”, - the source said.
In his opinion, russian “Shaheds” and missiles, “unfortunately, answer this [question about elections] for us”.
The report notes that the former defense minister’s statement appeared on the evening of August 18 — the day President Zelensky submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a proposal to appoint Yevhen Khmara as the new head of the Defense Ministry. He became the acting minister after Fedorov’s dismissal.
The resignation of the former defense minister in mid-July sparked several days of protests in various Ukrainian cities, which continue to this day. One of the consequences of these rallies was a reshuffle in the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time, following his dismissal and the protests, Fedorov’s level of support increased in opinion polls.
The vote on appointing Khmara as defense minister is expected as early as August 19.
On the evening of August 18, Fedorov published an appeal to Ukrainians, speaking out on political issues for the first time. In particular, he supported holding elections during the war and also spoke of a “systemic crisis of governance” in the country.