Zelenskyy asks Ukrainian parliament to prepare presidential election in war time

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy/PHOTO via X @ZelenskyyUa

JAKARTA - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly asked the Ukrainian parliament to draft a bill (RUU) to hold presidential elections in the midst of a military emergency.

The deputy speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Oleksandr Korniyenko, earlier said that parliament would prepare the necessary legal basis to immediately hold presidential elections despite the war.

According to Sputnik, Monday, December 15, according to a report citing an unnamed source, the bill will regulate the presidential election to be held within 60 days, as is the procedure when the presidential election is advanced from the schedule.

However, the parties involved in the process are said to doubt that the bill can be completed, RBC-Ukraine reports.

On December 9, President Zelenskyy stated that he was ready to change the law in order to hold presidential elections in Ukraine, although he had previously used this as an excuse to refuse to hold elections.

Zelenskyy's presidential term was due to end on May 20, 2024, but presidential elections could not be held due to the military emergency and general mobilization due to the war.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said that now is the right time for the people of Ukraine to choose a new president.

Moreover, in February, Trump dubbed Zelenskyy a "dictator without elections" and claimed that the level of public acceptance of Zelenskyy's government plummeted to 4 percent.