Some 62% of Ukrainians believe that elections should be held in Ukraine only after the war is over, no matter how long it lasts, according to a poll conducted by the International Republican Institute (IRI).
The survey showed that the majority of Ukrainian citizens remain committed to democracy and support the idea of holding elections after the war is over.
To the question "If a decision is made to hold elections, when should they be held given the war?" 62% of respondents answered "only after the war, no matter how long it takes".
There were 22% who chose the option "March 2024, even if the war continues".
Some 6% believe that elections should be held in September 2024, even if the war continues.
At the same time, 41% of respondents said that it is very important that Ukrainians who are currently abroad take part in the voting. It is also important that internally displaced persons vote, regardless of their plans to return to their previous place of residence.
The survey was conducted by the Sociological Group Rating on behalf of the Centre for Analysis and Sociological Research of the International Republican Institute (IRI) throughout Ukraine (except for the occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas) on 9-12 September 2023. The method of the survey was Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI), based on a random sample of mobile numbers. A total of 2,000 Ukrainian residents aged 18 and older were interviewed.
The margin of error of the survey with a confidence level of 0.95 does not exceed ±2.2 percentage points for the full sample. The response rate is 12%.
Parliamentary elections are supposed to be held in 2024, but they cannot be held during martial law.
Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, opposes elections during a full-scale war with Russia.
"I can say that as soon as campaigners enter the trenches, we will lose. Campaigning cannot be done in the trenches, and our people are in the trenches. And the task of the state is quite simple - to ensure that everyone votes... People who are abroad..." he explained.
President Zelenskyy also said that elections in Ukraine under martial law are possible only if all citizens, including military personnel and internally displaced persons abroad, are able to exercise their right to vote.
Zelenskyy later said that he would run for president if the 2024 presidential election were held during the war.