“The opposition in Ukraine is asking President Volodymyr Zelensky to organize elections, one year after they were delayed by the leader of Kiev. However, experts are afraid that the opposition might unintentionally play into the hands of Russia, who wants to divide Ukraine at a delicate time.
President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has the image of a hero after he refused to flee from Ukraine during the most difficult moment. When former American President Joe Biden offered him the chance to escape from the Russians, Zelensky chose to stay in the country and continue a fight like David against Goliath, in which he seemingly had no chance, but has been managing for the past 3 years.
Recently, however, the leader of Kiev has been accused by the internal opposition, whether it is the legendary Yulia Tymoshenko, heroine of the Ukrainians and a symbol of the fight against Russia, the mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, or former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. The president defends himself and has a serious argument. The Ukrainian Parliament voted last week to extend the martial law and general mobilization proposed by President Volodymyr Zelensky. And the law provisions state that elections cannot take place while the country is under martial law.
Accusations from all sides
All three are staunch anti-Russians and cannot be suspected in any way of manipulation or playing into the hands of Moscow. They claim that Zelensky has been refusing for a year now to organize free elections in Ukraine. In fact, Zelensky has been accused by influential publication The Economist of consolidating all power in his hands and endlessly delaying the elections. Ukraine, which is indeed one of the poorest and most corrupt countries in the world, is rapidly moving away from the semblance of democracy that seemed to exist in Kiev, some Western experts fear.
The cited source also notes that the rapid militarization of the country has given Zelensky more and more power. This is about centralizing power in the hands of the former comedian, who has surrounded himself with a group of loyalists who were not elected by popular vote. The loyalists are rewarded with leadership positions on the boards of state-owned companies, and liberal thinkers who operate independently of Bankova (the Ukrainian equivalent of the Kremlin) are quickly removed or marginalized, according to The Economist.
The Economist has also noted that the pressure to maintain Western support has led to growing public criticism of the government.
“While the Western media and European leaders have entrusted Zelensky and turned him into a celebrity, we feel trapped,” said Yulia Mostovaya, editor of independent daily zn.ua, for the cited source.
The press is also under pressure, and the message from Bankova is tightly controlled. Sevgil Musaeva, editor of the independent magazine Ukrainska Pravda, has warned that journalists who question the official line are censored and have their access to Bankova interrupted.
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