Rumors about possible presidential elections in the autumn have once again activated political discussions in Ukraine. Political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko believes that the country is currently not ready to hold elections, but the rising ratings of President Volodymyr Zelensky could be the reason for new negotiations with Ukraine's ambassador to the UK, Valeriy Zaluzhny. The expert shared this in an interview with the publication «Briefly about».
Presidential elections in Ukraine: why Zaluzhny is being talked about again
According to Volodymyr Fesenko, the information about possible elections is related to the need to rapidly change the legislation if the authorities are indeed considering holding voting in the autumn.
The expert emphasizes that at the moment there is neither legal nor organizational readiness for this. In particular, it is necessary to change the electoral legislation, the rules of martial law, and find funding for the electoral process.
At the same time, Fesenko drew attention to reports of an alleged new attempt to persuade Valeriy Zaluzhny not to participate in the presidential elections.
«There is now information that Zaluzhny was again persuaded to withdraw. This is a very important piece of news that he said he would run for elections», the political scientist noted.
Zelensky and Zaluzhny: who Fesenko calls the main competitor
According to the expert, the main competitor of the current president remains Valeriy Zaluzhny.
Fesenko believes that among potential candidates, only Zaluzhny and head of GUR Kyrylo Budanov have high ratings, however, Budanov works in the president's team, thus he assesses the possibility of political agreements with him as significantly higher.
The political scientist also explained that the high rating of Zaluzhny is associated not only with his personal popularity.
«It's not about wanting Zaluzhny, but about wanting a change from Zelensky», he said.
At the same time, the expert warned that holding elections during a war may cause political confrontation and additional risks for the country. According to him, most Ukrainians, according to recent sociological surveys, do not support holding elections before the end of martial law.
Earlier, Zaluzhny stated about the strategic defeat of Russia in the Black Sea.