Ukraine’s election day dawned with no vote in sight and little appetite for one – for now, anyway

CNN ^ | Mon April 1, 2024 | Andrew Carey, Olga Voitovych, and Svitlana Vlasova

[MinorityRepublican]

In another world, Ukraine would have voted on Sunday. In a year where billions get the chance to cast a ballot, people here would have given their verdict on the presidency of Volodymyr Zelensky.

Five years ago, the man whose talents as an actor, comedian and producer had made him a household name in Ukraine was propelled into office. But with Russian forces still inside the country and millions of Ukrainians displaced from their homes, fighting on the frontlines, or living overseas, there is no election in sight.

Some US Republicans have sought to make the upcoming expiration of Zelensky’s term, which happens in May, another reason why military aid should be withheld.

Zelensky himself has said he was open to the idea but in recent months has made it clear it is not something he believes the country can or should do. Although Sunday was the day the constitution says Ukraine should be voting, it also does not allow it during wartime. The alternative would be to suspend martial law for the period of an election.

On Kyiv’s Maidan square on a Friday afternoon, it is chilly. Skies are overcast and there is a hailstorm on the way.

This large open space, through which cuts one of the city’s main thoroughfares, was the cradle of what Ukrainians call the Revolution of Dignity - the uprising ten years ago that pushed out the country’s pro-Putin leader, Viktor Yanukovych, and shifted Ukraine’s focus towards Europe and the United States.

Mykola Lyapin, a 21-year-old student, is having a smoke before the rain comes. He would have voted for Zelensky five years ago if he had had the chance and would vote for him now. He has no fear that when the time comes the president will move on.

[BobL]

Didn’t matter, Biden was the shoe-in there.

[Michael.SF.]

Well at least we are helping them to save Democracy. /s

[unclebankster]

This is very bad optics for the Ukraine-United States alliance. Most of Ukraine is under Ukrainian control.

How can anybody be ‘yapping’ about a Ukrainian democracy without elections?

[MinorityRepublican]

Maybe Valerii Zaluzhnyi should be in charge now. But Zelensky fired him and now he works as the ambassador in London.

[JonPreston]

Yet you support dictator Zelensky?

[Seruzawa]

I see the CIA, er I mean CNN writers are still spewing ridiculous propaganda as “news’.

They couldn’t find anyone who doesn’t support Zee for obvious reasons. Who wants to disappear?

Interesting that this able bodied male isn’t fighting Russia to protect his Ukrainian “democracy”.

[Iron Munro]

Caryn Johnson (Whoopi Goldberg) - Ugly as a mud fence and no where near as useful.

[roving]

This alone should disqualify him from NATO.

[delta7]

Many countries have already expressed the obvious- as of May 21, St Z becomes an illegitimate President….expect treaties, support, etc… decline after that ( hopefully tank). Who in their right mind will support a country with an illegitimate President? Answer: senile Joe and his supporters.

Meanwhile, Vlad is finally crushing the Ukrainian defenses, defenses which took the US eight years and billions $$$ to build…..the US’s eight year long “ Project Ukraine” is finally coming to an end, Amen.

[mass55th]

Elections are for the little people, and what better way to continue a perpetual war in your country, while sucking other countries dry financially, than to keep the citizens of your country from being able to vote for change?

[tennmountainman]

YouCraynee like Ruzzia is run by Dictators.
At least Ruzzia has the appearance of Elections.
YouCraynee, not so much.

[Jan_Sobieski]

Geez…At least the US acts like there are elections and votes matter! 🙄

[MinorityRepublican]

Mykola Lyapin, a 21-year-old student, is having a smoke before the rain comes. He would have voted for Zelensky five years ago if he had had the chance and would vote for him now. He has no fear that when the time comes the president will move on.

He's lucky that Zelensky does not want to draft him. Not many 21 year old guys in the country.

[Red6]

Funny how now CNN is rationalizing dictators.

[Red6]

If the guy in power can simply call the elections off, then you don’t have a democracy.

But... our boy does get to stay in power a little bit longer, and we probably want that.

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Banned opposition parties
14 - 16 opposition leaders assassinated (and our news says practically nothing)
Journalists that report the wrong things jailed
Radio stations that air the wrong thing shut down
Ham radio banned
Mass censorship of the Internet
Mass government secrecy surrounding practically anything which may not look good for this regime

This war is about “democracy?”