As Zelenskyy torpedoes elections in Ukraine, Russia promises polls in captured parts

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed extending the state of emergency which would effectively delay elections in the war-torn country that were slated to be held in October. Last year as Russia invaded Ukraine, Zelenskyy implemented martial law. Since then, the government has been extending the law with the most recent extension announced on May 20 for 90 days. An approval from the Verkhovna Rada, the parliament of Ukraine, would extend the martial law till November 15. “If we have martial law, we cannot have elections. The constitution prohibits any elections during martial law,” Zelenskyy said in May. As per Ukrainian law, parliamentary elections should be held no later than October 29 and over 60 days should be granted to political parties for campaigning. The law, however, does not allow elections to be held when martial law is in effect. Russia to hold polls in captured parts of Ukraine? Russia has captured key locations in Ukraine and is planning to set up its own governmental bodies in these areas. Earlier this month, however, Russia’s top election official said that if the situation worsens in the four Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine, the local elections slated for September could be cancelled. The four regions that Vladimir Putin has staked a claim for are Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. “Since the situation is really difficult, anything can happen,” Ella Panfilova, who chairs Russia’s Central Election Commission, told Putin at a meeting in the Kremlin. “If unforeseen circumstances arise – in some areas the situation may deteriorate dramatically - and we see that there is a serious danger to the life and health of residents, then we have the right to postpone these elections,” she said.