Zelensky's term as Ukraine President ends tomorrow. What happens next?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s term as the President of Ukraine is ending on Monday (May 20), but he will stay in office as the ongoing war with Ukraine has delayed elections in the country.

Moreover, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, martial law was imposed in the country and no presidential or parliamentary elections can take place as long as the martial law is in effect.

While it is permissible for Zelenskyy to continue as the president until elections are held, there are critics who question the legality of his powers under the martial law and the legitimacy of his rule in the eyes of the public.

Moreover, Ukrainian officials are concerned that Russia may use the expiration of his presidential term in its propaganda against Ukraine to undermine the country’s government and the legitimacy of Zelenskyy’s rule.

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How will Zelenskyy continue after his term’s end?

Zelenskyy will continue to remain the President of Ukraine as elections in the country have been indefinitely delayed because of the war.

Stanislav Shevchuk, a former head of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, told The Kyiv Independent that there is no challenge to Zelenskyy’s rule legally.

Shevchuk said that Article 108 of the Constitution says that the president is in office until the next one takes office.

“Since the Constitution bans any elections during martial law, this approach should be applied to presidential elections because elections are a unified process in a democratic state,” says Shevchuk.

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Shevchuk further said that the president continues to be fulfil their duties until their successor comes in as per the principle of “government continuity”.

“There can be no vacuum of power during peacetime or wartime. This is guaranteed by the Constitution of Ukraine,” said Shevchuk.

In case no martial law was imposed, elections would have taken place on March 31 and Zelenskyy’s term would have ended on Monday, as per The Kyiv Independent.

Similarly, the parliamentary elections would have been held on October 29, 2023, according to the report.

Ukraine fears Russian will undermine Zelenskyy’s legitimacy

Two sources told The Kyiv Independent that Western allies of Ukraine were aware of potential Russian disinformation campaign to undermine Zelenskyy’s rule.

Separately, Vadym Skibitsky, Deputy Chief of Military Intelligence, told The Economist that undermining Zelenskyy’s legitimacy was part of Russia’s multi-component plan to destabilise Ukraine.

So far, however, there is little concerns about Zelenskyy’s legitimacy as he continues to have decent approval ratings. However, even though they are decent, the ratings have fallen lately.

In February, 63% people approved of Zelenskyy in a poll by Rating Group, but it was much less than 82% approval recorded in September 2023.