Olena Zelenska does not want Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to run for a second term
Ukraine's first lady has said she does not want her husband, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to lead the country for another term or more.
Olena Zelenska said this in an interview with The Economist.
"Maybe we need to find something new... Our family will reunite and we will live together all the time. After that, we will take a holiday,"
the First Lady said.
During a visit to Kyiv on August 23, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham said that elections should be held in Ukraine next year, despite the war.
"I want this country to have free and fair elections, even when it's under attack. The American people need to know that Ukraine has changed," the senator said.
In response, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he was ready to hold elections only if they were held for everyone: Ukrainians abroad, the military and others who do not have access to regular polling stations.
The next presidential election in Ukraine is due in March 2024, but the Constitution of Ukraine does not allow for elections during martial law.
In November 2023, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that elections were "not yet on the agenda".
"In wartime, when there are many challenges, it is absolutely irresponsible to somehow... lightly and playfully throw the topic of elections into society," the Ukrainian president said during one of his video addresses.
In addition, the Cabinet of Ministers did not include funds for any elections in the 2024 budget of Ukraine.
