Ousted Ukraine defense chief Fedorov calls for wartime elections in challenge to Zelensky
While Fedorov did not say in his address that he would compete in any election, a recent poll indicated the ex-minister would comfortably beat Zelensky in a runoff vote.
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's former defense minister, has called for wartime elections in a video address, presenting a significant challenge to President Volodymyr Zelensky. This is the first such demand from a prominent Ukrainian political figure since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Fedorov, a longtime ally of Zelensky until his unexpected dismissal from the defense ministry in July, made his call in the wake of a series of protests demanding the sacking of the former commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
The law in Ukraine prohibits holding elections during wartime. However, Fedorov argued that democracy cannot be held hostage by Russia and proposed a legal, safe, and realistic mechanism for Ukraine to renew its democratic process even in the conditions of a long war. Fedorov, who was 35 at the time of his dismissal, had been a long-time ally of Zelensky until his firing, during which he publicly criticized Syrskyi, arguing that he was an old-guard military commander blamed for heavy troop losses.
A recent poll suggests that if he were to run in the presidential election, Fedorov would comfortably beat Zelensky in a runoff vote.
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