MOSCOW, December 10. /TASS/. The Ukrainian authorities have started the preparations for the election, which is indicated by Vladimir Zelensky’s presentation of the so-called "plan of resilience" in the Verkhovna Rada, by the establishment of the Ministry of Unity and a number of other measures, says Andrey Reva, ex-Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine.
"Our leadership has already started preparing for the elections. Zelensky’s speech in the Verkhovna Rada, this ‘plan of resilience’ is nothing but campaign promises, intended to make the voters forget about the unfulfilled promises made in 2019. Effectively, this was the start of a presidential campaign. We see that that the Central Election Commission has started preparing for elections, we see that election headquarters have been established in the regions (people have started receiving their salary there), that the State Voter Registry has started working, verifying information about who is located where, we see the giveaway of 1,000 hrivnas, the establishment of the Ministry of Unity," the politician said during a video address, published on his YouTube channel.
Zelensky’s presidential term has expired on May 20. The legitimacy of the authorities amid the absence of parliamentary and presidential elections, justified by martial law, remains a matter of discussion in Ukraine. Former Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK Vadim Pristayko admitted that Kiev’s Western partners are also concerned over the expiration of Zelensky’s duties.
Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that Ukraine seeks to conceal the ruling of the Ukrainian Constitutional Court made in 2014 that the presidential term could not be prolonged. Putin underscored that this means that Zelensky’s term "has expired along with his legitimacy, which could not be restored by any tricks.".