Kiev must prioritize “militarization” and social programs over organizing a vote, Mikhail Podoliak has said
Voters at a polling station in Kiev during Ukraine’s presidential elections in April 2019. © Getty Images
Ukraine cannot afford to finance elections on its own due to a budget deficit, Mikhail Podoliak, a senior adviser to Vladimir Zelensky, has claimed, insisting that Kiev should focus on “militarization” efforts.
Zelensky’s presidential term expired in May 2024, but he refused to call an election, citing martial law. Russia has proclaimed Zelensky “illegitimate” while insisting that legal power now lies with Ukraine’s parliament. Moscow has also suggested that Zelensky’s dubious status poses an obstacle to reaching a peace agreement.
However, US President Donald Trump – who once referred to Zelensky as “a dictator” – has recently ramped up pressure on the Ukrainian leader to hold elections. In response, Zelensky said he was prepared to hold a vote, but demanded that its Western backers guarantee security.
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Speaking to Novini Live on Thursday, Podoliak claimed there is another obstacle to holding a presidential vote. “We are not supposed to finance this. Objectively, we cannot afford it because we have a budget deficit,” he said.
According to Podoliak, Ukraine’s budget has other priority expenditures, including “militarization” and “social programs, which should compensate for the economic losses of individual households.” He suggested, nonetheless, that the country’s Central Electoral Commission and a working group in parliament should calculate the approximate cost of holding elections.
The back-and-forth over the election comes as a Socis poll this week suggested that Zelensky would overwhelmingly lose in a run-off presidential election to his former top commander and potential primary rival, Valery Zaluzhny. The survey indicated that Zaluzhny would sweep a run-off vote with 64%. Another poll, published by news outlet Delovaya Stolitsa on Tuesday, indicated that 44% of Ukrainians oppose the prospect of online voting over fears that the authorities could falsify the results.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has noted that Moscow would consider halting strikes deep into Ukraine on election day – provided that millions of Ukrainians living in Russia are allowed to participate.