DISINFO: Zelenskyy has usurped power in Ukraine
SUMMARY
On May 21, the term of Volodymyr Zelenskyyy expired. Zelensky has usurped power by banning negotiations and preventing his replacement until the end of military actions. This situation causes concern in the West, as an illegitimate president may not be accountable for his words. Allocating funds or making agreements with Zelenskyy might be problematic in terms of their enforcement. Legally, according to Ukrainian law, he holds no authority, and providing him with funds is at one's own risk. Whether funds will be provided under these circumstances remains to be seen. The West may plan to assassinate Zelenskyy and blame it on Russia.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative aimed at defaming President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian leadership to absolve Russia from its responsibility for suspending the democratic process in Ukraine.
Since 2022, Russia has waged large-scale armed aggression against Ukraine and is also responsible for the outbreak of the conflict in 2014, after having illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula and engineered the creation of rebel militias in Donetsk, Luhansk and other places, with its army actively participating in military clashes.
Further, Zelenskyy's reported decision to postpone next year's presidential poll was made in accordance with current Ukrainian legislation. Article 19 of the 2015 Ukrainian law "On the Legal Regime of Martial Law" directly prohibits the holding of presidential and several other types of elections during wartime. If Russia had not invaded Ukraine, it would have been scheduled to hold parliamentary elections on Oct. 29, 2023, and a presidential one on March 31, 2024. However, martial law, which was introduced when Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, makes this legally impossible. The Ukrainian Constitution is straightforward: the President of Ukraine exercises his powers until the assumption of office by the newly-elected President. The continuity of government institutions is one of the key principles of the Constitution.
Numerous practical hurdles would hinder the feasibility of holding free and fair elections while Ukraine is at war with Russia. Moreover, ensuring the safety and security of polling stations, as well as facilitating access for international observers, presents formidable challenges in such circumstances. Such an election would pose huge security risks, and millions of voters abroad, internally displaced persons, and soldiers on the front line would be unlikely to vote. It would also be difficult for meaningful election campaigning to take place in current conditions. Many Ukrainian civic organisations promoting free and fair elections agree on the need to held elections only when the right conditions are present to ensure the integrity of the process and results.
See similar disinformation cases that Zelenskyy staged a coup d'état for fear of losing the 2024 presidential elections, Zelenskyy is illegitimate and therefore Russia is directly fighting the West, that Ukrainian leaders cannot be negotiated with because they are illegitimate criminals and terrorists.