Ukraine must find a mechanism to hold elections in times of war: this was asked by the former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, who in a speech made today on Youtube stated that "democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia" and that "it is necessary to find a legal, safe and realistic mechanism that would allow Ukraine to restore a full-fledged democratic process even in the event of a prolonged war".
"We need to answer a fundamental question: How should a state function if the war lasts for years? What would happen if the war lasted another year? Two? Three? Could Russia really gain the right to decide when Ukrainians can elect their own government again? I am convinced not. Democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia," Fedorov said in his speech broadcast on YouTube and reported by Ukrainska Pravda.
“We fight precisely because we want to remain a free European state. Therefore, we must find a legal, safe and realistic mechanism that would allow Ukraine to restore a full-fledged democratic process even in the event of a protracted war,” the former minister added.
"It's difficult. We need to ensure the right to vote for the military. Millions of Ukrainians abroad. People in the front-line regions. We need to ensure the security of the electoral process, the independence of institutions and confidence in the result. But complexity does not mean impossibility.
Ukraine has done many times what the world considered impossible,” he stressed.
The former minister then stated that "it is particularly dangerous when society perceives that the main criterion for appointing a person is not his professionalism, results obtained or ability to change the country, but rather personal loyalty to the system. This is not how a modern state can function. And even less can a country that is fighting a war for its survival function."
Fedorov's words promise to further deepen the political crisis caused by Volodymyr Zelensky's decision to remove him from his position as Defense Minister, as part of a government reshuffle. A choice justified by bad relations with the then commander of the armed forces Oleksandr Syrsky - who was also sacked shortly after - but which provoked a wave of street protests in Ukraine - the last one last Sunday in Kiev - with thousands of people taking to the streets in support of Fedorov, considered popular in public opinion and among the military, who recognize him as having modernized the army in an attempt to preserve the lives of soldiers.
In an attempt to take cover, Zelensky proposed other government positions to Fedorov, which however the former minister refused. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Parliament's vote is expected tomorrow to confirm Yevhenii Khmara as the new Defense Minister, a position he is currently holding on an interim basis.
