Should Ukraine hold elections during wartime? This is the response from the President of PACE.

There are two perspectives on the elections in Ukraine. The first is from the standpoint of the functioning of government bodies during wartime, and the second is historical.

This was stated by Theodoros Russopoulos, the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in an interview with RBK-Ukraine.

"The first point is that my stance is to refrain from interfering in this internal politics, as political life continues in Ukraine, the parliament is actively working, and the sessions are proceeding very smoothly. Naturally, parliamentarians from all parties are participating in our Assembly," he noted on the sidelines of the PACE session in Strasbourg.

According to him, the second response is historical. "I can't recall if there were elections when Winston Churchill led the UK during the war. Rest assured, there were none," the PACE president reminded.

As Russopoulos highlighted, the Verkhovna Rada is operational, parliamentarians from all parties are attending PACE, and not a single opposition parliamentarian has raised the issue of elections in Ukraine.

"It is easy to destroy, but hard to build. However, we are trying, alongside the peaceful process that the Ukrainian people will choose, to find some solution," he stated.

Russopoulos mentioned that a very important international meeting regarding the reconstruction of Ukraine was held in Germany a few months ago.

"Therefore, I am optimistic that everything will happen very quickly once the war is over," the PACE president concluded.

It is worth noting that according to surveys, the majority of Ukrainians are against elections during the war. Specifically, in March 2024, only 22% of respondents were in favor of holding national elections in Ukraine (presidential or parliamentary) before the war concludes.