MOSCOW, February 11. /TASS/. No presidential election will be announced in Ukraine on February 24 as an election campaign can only be initiated at least six months after martial law is lifted, said Olga Aivazovskaya from a parliamentary group working toward an election.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Financial Times reported, citing sources, that Ukraine plans to hold a presidential election and a referendum on a peace deal with Russia by May 15. According to the British paper, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky may make an announcement as early as February 24.
"Team work on drafting laws to hold the first post-war election is ongoing, and it is understood that at least six months must pass after martial law is lifted before an election campaign can begin," she wrote on Facebook (banned in Russia, owned by Meta, a corporation recognized as extremist in Russia).
According to Aivazovskaya, the parliamentary group will convene another meeting on February 12, with further meetings with factions and groups of lawmakers planned after an election bill has been drafted.
After The Financial Times released its report, a source in Zelensky’s circle denied the information in an interview with RBC-Ukraine news agency. Verkhovna Rada member Alexander Goncharenko (listed in Russia as a terrorist and extremist) said that no work toward holding an election and a referendum in May is currently underway.
Zelensky’s presidential term officially expired on May 20, 2024, but Kiev chose not to hold an election, claiming that it was impossible as long as martial law was in place. He has repeatedly said that he is ready for elections but that this would require legislative changes and security measures to ensure servicemen could also vote. He asked lawmakers to prepare legislative changes and requested that the US and Europe ensure the security of the voting process.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has emphasized previously that Zelensky’s mandate "has expired along with his legitimacy, and no tricks can restore it." According to Putin, Russia held an election amid the special military operation without insisting on any guarantees.