EXPLAINER: Why Ukraine postpones elections amid Russian conflict

Ukraine has not held presidential or parliamentary elections since military conflict with Russia began in February 2022. 

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's five-year term formally expired in May 2024, yet he remains in office under a constitutional clause that extends the mandate of all elected bodies until martial law is lifted and a new vote can be organised. 

Martial law was declared on February 24, 2022 and has been renewed every 90 days since, most recently on Tuesday (December 9) and explicitly bans nationwide elections. Ukrainian law and the constitution both treat the measure as non-negotiable while Russian forces occupy roughly one-fifth of the country and continue daily attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Zelenskyy has rejected suggestions he is clinging to power. "I've heard it said that we or I personally are holding on to the president's chair," he told journalists last week. "Frankly, this is a completely absurd story." He insists elections would divide society at the very moment unity is most needed, and has proposed legal changes to allow secure voting but only after a ceasefire and international security guarantees.

U.S. President Donald Trump has sharply questioned the delay. In an interview on Wednesday (December 10) he said: "I think it's an important time to hold elections, they are using war as an excuse..., they talk about a democracy but it gets to a point where it's no longer a democracy." 

The remarks echo Russian state media narratives on Zelenskyy's legitimacy. European leaders, including the UK's Keir Starmer, France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Friedrich Merz, urged Trump in a call on Wednesday to prioritize peace talks over forcing polls now.

Recent polls reflect growing war fatigue but still show most Ukrainians oppose holding elections until the conflict ends. A September 2025 Kyiv International Institute of Sociology survey found 63 percent against immediate elections, even post-ceasefire.

Zelenskyy's trust and approval ratings have fallen to around 20–25 percent in November–December, according to polls by Info Sapiens and SOCIS, down sharply from earlier in the conflict. 

In hypothetical first-round scenarios he now runs neck and neck with former commander in chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, while former president Petro Poroshenko and other opposition figures trail far behind. Analysts attribute the decline to prolonged hardship and recent corruption scandals, yet note that the ongoing threat from Russia continues to limit public appetite for elections under current conditions.

Practical obstacles remain as millions of voters are displaced abroad or in occupied territories, soldiers on the front line cannot safely reach polling stations, and regular missile and drone strikes make large gatherings impossible. Zelenskyy says legal tweaks and foreign aid could enable a vote soon after a truce.

As Kyiv navigates Donald Trump's second administration, the election question highlights the tension between wartime survival and democratic principles. Zelenskyy has made clear his position: "I openly ask the United States, possibly together with European colleagues, to help me ensure the security needed to hold elections." For now, Ukraine's voters appear willing to wait.