Zelenskyy to announce plan for elections and referendum on February 24 – media
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to announce plans for a presidential election and referendum on February 24, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing Ukrainian and European officials involved in the planning.
"Ukraine has begun planning for a presidential election along with a referendum on a peace deal with Russia after the administration of US President Donald Trump pressured Kyiv to hold both votes by May 15 or risk losing security guarantees offered by the US," the report said.
According to the newspaper’s sources, Zelenskyy is set to announce plans for a presidential election and referendum on February 24.
As reported on Monday, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker denied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s claims that the US had set a deadline for a peace deal with Ukraine, The Guardian reported.
According to information from Interfax-Ukraine, obtained from a source close to the negotiations, holding the referendum and presidential elections simultaneously will ensure maximum representativeness of the will of Ukrainians, since it is the presidential elections that historically show the highest turnout. A high turnout is extremely important for accepting the results of the referendum.
Taking into account the referendum and presidential elections in May and approximately 60 days for the election campaign, all basic agreements in the 3-party negotiations and the necessary legislative changes in Ukraine should be adopted in February, at the latest in early March.
