Photo: https://eurosolidarity.org/novyny/
The European Solidarity Party is against elections during war, its leader Petro Poroshenko has said.
“Our team has always been and is categorically against elections during war. Unlike the government, which takes money from the army, tries to buy votes, and also eliminates political opponents with unconstitutional and extrajudicial sanctions, which is a politically motivated persecution and a scenario for preparing for elections,” Poroshenko wrote on Facebook on Thursday.
According to Poroshenko, elections are possible after a ceasefire and the signing of a peace agreement with security guarantees for Ukraine and should be held no later than 180 days after the end of martial law. He stressed that the upcoming elections must be free, democratic, which will ensure the expression of the will of citizens and the trust of the free world.
Earlier on Thursday, Politico reported, citing unnamed sources, that four high-ranking officials from Donald Trump’s entourage held secret talks, in particular, with members of Rada factions led by Yulia Tymoshenko and Petro Poroshenko. The discussion centered on whether Ukraine could hold a quick presidential election. Politico notes that both Tymoshenko and Poroshenko have publicly opposed holding elections before the fighting ends. However, they have allegedly positioned themselves as “people who are easier to work with” and “people who will agree to many of the things that [President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy won’t.”