MOSCOW, November 6. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has instructed his office to start preparations for the election of the head of state in the spring of 2024, Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) lawmaker Alexey Goncharenko (listed as a terrorist and extremist by Russia's Federal Service for Financial Monitoring) reported.
"According to my information, Vladimir Zelensky has decided to hold presidential elections next year. He instructed the presidential administration to prepare for the election, which is planned to be held on March 31, 2024," the lawmaker said.
Representatives of the presidential administration have not yet commented on this information.
On November 3, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba told Sky News that Zelensky was considering holding a presidential election in the spring of 2024. Parliamentary elections in Ukraine were supposed to be held in October 2023, but were not held under martial law.
Ukrainian law prohibits holding presidential elections under martial law. Zelensky has repeatedly said that the election of the head of state can be held only after the end of hostilities. Kiev's Western partners, however, insist that they be held within the stipulated timeframe. Zelensky's rhetoric has changed somewhat; in one of his interviews, he admitted to holding the election under martial law if the West pays for it.