Only 9% of Ukrainians would like elections before ceasefire, survey shows
More than 50% of Ukrainians have said that elections should be held only after a final peace agreement is reached and the full end of the war, while just 9% have supported holding elections "right now".
Source: a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) from 26 November to 13 December
Details: The survey shows that only 9% of Ukrainians believe that elections should be held before a ceasefire; in September this figure was 11%.
In the event of a ceasefire and security guarantees, 25% support holding elections. It is reported that this share has shown a tendency to grow, as in September it stood at 22%.
At the same time a majority – 57% (63% in September) – continue to insist that elections are possible only after a final peace agreement is reached and the complete end of the war.
Anton Hrushetskyi, KIIS' Executive Director, says that when it comes to internal issues there is no demand among the absolute majority of Ukrainians for national elections before the end of active hostilities.
He added that trust in Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains high and that he retains his legitimacy as president in the eyes of Ukrainians: "Therefore, the insistence on elections in Ukraine is critically perceived by the public and is regarded as an attempt to weaken the country."
For reference: The survey was conducted from 26 November to 13 December. Using telephone interviews based on a random sample of mobile phone numbers, 547 respondents aged 18 and over were surveyed, all of whom live in territory controlled by the Ukrainian government. The sample did not include residents of territories temporarily not controlled by the Ukrainian authorities (although some respondents were internally displaced persons who had moved from occupied territories), nor did it include citizens who left Ukraine after 24 February 2022.
Under normal circumstances, the formal statistical margin of error for such a sample (with a probability of 0.95 and taking into account a design effect of 1.3) does not exceed 5.6% for indicators close to 50%, 4.8% for indicators close to 25%, 3.4% for indicators close to 10%, and 2.5% for indicators close to 5%.
KIIS plans to interview around another 500 respondents and to ask them the same questions.
Background:
- US President Donald Trump believes that "the time has come" for Ukraine to hold presidential elections.
- Zelenskyy has responded to this reproach by saying that he is "always ready".
- He has also said that international partners must ensure security during elections. Zelenskyy himself is ready for changes to election legislation during martial law.
- Later, Zelenskyy discussed with representatives of the Ukrainian Parliament the possibility of holding presidential elections in a country at war and is now waiting for MPs to "present their perspective" to him.
- One Ukrainian parliamentarian said that there are currently no "draft laws" or legislative initiatives in parliament on holding elections under martial law.
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