President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated in an interview with the German TV channel ZDF that the authorities might consider conducting elections in an online format. According to him, under the conditions of the ongoing war, a significant portion of citizens would physically be unable to participate in voting, making the traditional election format unfair. Zelenskyy emphasized that millions of military personnel are in the trenches and technically cannot cast their ballots, meaning the organization of elections requires a non-standard approach.
'Soldiers will not be able to vote — it is 100 percent unfair'
In the interview with ZDF, the head of state argued his position in detail, noting that the armed forces currently at the front are effectively deprived of their right to vote. "The armed forces are at the front, and they are also against elections because they do not have the opportunity to vote. Is that fair? Millions of people are in trenches, and it is technically impossible to organize," Zelenskyy declared. He added that the military should be the first to choose the head of state, as "they have preserved independence and continue to preserve it." In his view, the soldier's profession is the most vital during wartime, and as they risk their lives, holding elections where they cannot vote is "100 percent unfair."
Online voting: technical feasibility and legislative vacuum
Discussing potential alternatives, Zelenskyy admitted that holding elections in a digital format might be possible. "It is possible, but then parliament will have to search for and find a solution," the president stated. In doing so, he delegated the responsibility for developing the legal and technical framework for online voting to the Verkhovna Rada. As of the president's statement, no specific bill regulating remote voting has been passed by parliament, and existing electoral legislation contains no mechanisms for fully digital elections.
Challenges of the 'Diia' platform and the Speaker's position
Previously, as reported by RBC-Ukraine, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk stated that holding elections through the "Diia" application is currently impossible. He pointed to several "pitfalls" identified during the use of this service for voting in the Eurovision contest. According to Stefanchuk, the platform's technical and legal limitations prevent guaranteeing the confidentiality, reliability, and security of votes on a national scale. However, he noted that parliament is actively working on a law that would determine the procedures for holding elections under martial law, though actual implementation at this moment is "absolutely impossible."
Context: elections during war — a systemic problem
The issue of organizing elections in Ukraine amidst the ongoing conflict remains one of the most debated topics in political and legal spheres. On one hand, there is international pressure and internal demands for democratic norms and the rotation of power. On the other hand, objective military constraints make traditional voting at polling stations unrealistic for a large part of the population, including the military, internally displaced persons, and residents of temporarily occupied territories. Zelenskyy's initiative to consider an online format, therefore, reflects an attempt to strike a compromise between the legitimacy of the electoral process and its technical feasibility under extreme conditions.
